Why People Hate Meetings. Why People Love Meetings

One of the biggest time wasters  can be meetings.  One of the biggest time savers can be (surprise!) meetings.   It is possible to differentiate between the two.    Usually the time wasting meetings are the meetings that people hate.   The meetings that save time (in the long run) are the meetings that people love.  Herewith, then . . . reasons why people hate/love meetings.

Why People Hate Meetings

When there is no stated purpose other than to fulfill the obligation having a "regular meeting."  This void is then usually filled with unnecessary "status reports", the bulk of which translate into "I'm going to tell you EVERYTHING THAT I'VE BEEN SO VERY, VERY, EXTREMELY VERY BUSY DOING  in order to justify my professional existence."  It follows then that whoever gives the most verbose report is the most valuable employee. Yawn.

Someone calls a meeting, but then is too busy to attend and "delegates" it to someone else as a "learning experience."    Rule of thumb: if the purpose of the meeting isn't important to the originator, it's not important to anyone else.

If the subject matter is as interesting as last year's bus schedule.

The allotted meeting time is filled with a monologue with no chance for input or ownership by anyone save the speaker.

Meetings that are scheduled first thing in the morning or last thing in the day as the most sure-fire way to assure that employees show up on time and don't leave their cells. . .er, cubicles. . .early.

When the end time of a meeting is ignored and the clock slowly ticks onto the next century.  People begin to see glaciers move past the office windows with envying speed.

Why People Love Meetings

Gotta love it when they start on time and end on time (or preferably a few minutes early because everyone has just been so efficient in disseminating necessary information).

Meetings that have a stated purpose that is meaningful to the enterprise and to participants' professional lives.

The presented information is professionally pertinent.

Take the above, and then add on an environment in which team players have ownership of the subject, are encouraged to dream and create, can say their opinions without retribution and everyone has the goal of arriving at the best common solution.

Some of the best times in my professional life were meetings in which the populace was engaged and everyone had the opportunity to contribute.    Even if the meeting went long, we felt we had both purpose and direction - which not only saves time, but creates a better workplace.

Part of the work of leaders is to build meetings that people love. 

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Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available for  e-readers, tablets, PCs and Apple Products through Amazon Kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/Courageous-Questions-Confident-Leaders-ebook/dp/B0095KPA6A/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372198031&sr=1-1&keywords=courageous+questions%2C+confident+leaders

How to Produce More Time

"Seriously, does anyone need more time, because I have more than enough time on my hands."    This is seldom, if ever, heard in the workplace.    More likely, one will hear complaints about "never enough time" and "working into the wee hours" and "how am I supposed to get all of this done?"  

There are, however, ways to manufacture more time at work.     Ironically, it requires the investment of time. . . to make time.

Constant Prioritization:  In the rapidly changing workplace, it often happens that what was important two weeks ago is not as important today.  Yet, it stays on the to-do list.  Smart leaders are aware of this and are constantly prioritizing their time and their team's time toward projects that truly will make the difference in mission accomplishment and bottom line improvement.     Review what you and your team have on your list  - if it's not important anymore, get rid of it.   You just invested a little time to save  a lot of time.

Strong Alignment to Mission and Goals:   Efficient teams are strongly bonded to the overall mission and goals.     They understand where the enterprise is going and their role in the team.  This understanding saves an incredible amount of time in miscues and miscommunication.    Invest time to assure that your team is solid in this core knowledge;  you will save hours, days and weeks in the future.

Comprehensive Communication:  It is so worth the few extra minutes it takes to communicate a project and goal well.     It prevents valuable time wasted in re-do's, hurt feelings and frustrated employees.    We should also bear in mind that not everyone hears everything the same way, so what may seem like overcommunication to the communicator may be just what the listener needs to hear.  Time invested in strong communication rewards the investor with multiple dividends of additional time and team satisfaction.

Oh. . and You Can Just Say "No."  For some, this is a dramatic realization;  not every request that comes to your desk needs to be rewarded with an affirmative.    Maybe it's not high on the priorities to meet the goals of the company.    Maybe the request is mis-guided.   Maybe the work belongs in someone else's pyramid.   Maybe you just don't have time.    It is a wise investment of time to find graceful ways to edit requests.

Don't Make the Mistake that Team-Building, Leadership Development and Skills Training Seminars are a "Waste of Time."  I have made this error, "I have ten thousand things to do and now I'm supposed to take time off to go to this *%&%*&% training!!!"  Just relax.      Be open to learning that will make you a stronger leader, which will result in less employee turn and higher team satisfaction.   You just saved a bunch of time right there!

Assure that Meetings are Time Builders, Not Time Wasters.    And that it a whole blog by itself - for next time!

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Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders"  available for E-Readers, PCs, tablets and Apple products through Amazon Kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/Courageous-Questions-Confident-Leaders-ebook/dp/B0095KPA6A/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1371768613&sr=1-1&keywords=Courageous+Questions%2C+Confident+Leaders

Would Your Life Be Better If. . .

It is one of our responsibilities as leaders to engage in process improvement;  we should also actively engage in professional improvement.   How can we make our lives better?   How can our jobs be more satisfying to us?   How can we enable our teams to function more efficiently?  We should even (and some may consider this a little audacious) understand how can we be happier at work.

So here are some considerations. . .would your life be better if. . .


. . .there was less obsession with internal competition and more focus on internal cooperation?

. . .the mental  divide between managers and leaders just went away and and there was greater emphasis on leadership characteristics for all managers?

. . .the process by which work was accomplished would be considered just as important as the end-result of the work itself?

. . .there was diminished concern about "perfection" and a heightened interest in "curiosity" which would bring new products, services, ways of doing business and, yes, even new ways of leading?

. . .there was less interest in what "I" can do and more interest in what "we" can do?

. . .you become less concerned with getting enough credit for what you do - and become more concerned with giving others enough credit for what they do?

. . .you measured your comments and committed yourself to giving out at least as much praise as you do criticism?

. . .you initiated a culture a gratitude?

. . .you took charge and made the changes that need to happen to create a better workplace. ..and a happier you?

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Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Conident Leaders" available for e-readers, PCs, tablets and Apple products on Amazon Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Courageous-Questions-Confident-Leaders-ebook/dp/B0095KPA6A/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371083468&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=courageous+questions%2C+conident+leaders

8 Great Ways to Support Your Team

To lead a team is often not simple.   There are the complexities of emerging issues, competing priorities and team dynamics.   As leaders, however, there are simple, powerful things we can do that greatly benefit the team. . .and, oh, by the way, make our jobs just a little bit easier.   Some of these are very basic, but sometimes it is the most basic things that build a strong foundation.

1.  Treat Your Team as You Wish to be Treated.  At times, I am amazed and bewildered when I hear managers complain about treatment received at the hand of their bosses. . .but then they turn around and do the same thing to their team.   Being a leader does not free you from the golden rule of treating others as you wish to be treated, instead it should bond you to it. 


2.  Listen as Much as (or More Than) You Talk.   I've watched leaders struggle mightily with this:   they are under the perception that to lead, they should be doing the majority of the talking.  I have found that the power of listening, and responding, is often more powerful.   Strong listening is an expenditure of time that builds the team, gets information and utilizes that information to further the mission of the company as well as the professional trajectory of the team member. 


3.  Allow Team Members to be Right.    There are work environments in which the perception is that the only "right" answer could be garnered from the leader.   (Often this is a perception that is groomed by the leader.)    Not only is this impractical, it disenfranchises the workplace.     For the strength of the enterprise, team members must have ownership of coming up with the right answers - it lightens the burden on the leader and produces a stronger outcome.

4.  Promote Cross-Functional Teamwork.   The more interdepartmental interplay and cooperation there is - the higher the degree of professional satisfaction which contributes to better outcomes.  Don't silo team members.   Instead, within the charter of the organization, encourage them to "play well with others."    They (and you) will receive more information about the business.   You will also be amazed at the degree of cooperation you receive if your team is recognized as building cooperation with others.

5.   Be Both Knowledgeable and Willing to Learn.   Be a strong source for your team and also demonstrate your ability to learn more than you know. 

6.   Prioritize.    Positively prioritize and edit workload.   Move things up that will produce the greatest results.        Eliminate workload that really doesn't matter.

7.   Make Sure Your Team Understands the Mission and Their Role in the Mission.  Every team member should have a role in the mission of the enterprise - if not, you don't need the position.     Check in with your team members regularly to assure they have a strong understanding of their contribution.

8.   Be Grateful.     It is nearly impossible to express gratitude often enough, or in enough ways.    "Thank you for a job well done" feeds the brain because it reinforces that the leader appreciates the way a strategy or tactic was executed - it also feeds the heart and soul because the expression and receiving of gratitude is one of the most basic necessities of life.

If you liked this article - please share it with others.

Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available for e-readers, PCs, tablets and Apple products on Amazon Kindle. 
http://www.amazon.com/Courageous-Questions-Confident-Leaders-ebook/dp/B0095KPA6A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370567288&sr=8-1&keywords=courageous+questions%2C+confident+leaders