Leadership Workshop (4 of 12) – Lead Through Others
Leading at Light Speed is a groundbreaking leadership book by Eric Douglas describing the 10 Quantum Leaps which build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization.
Chapter 3 is about how to Lead Through Others and on page 60 Eric talks about how to manage highly effective meetings.
The key to highly effective meetings is not what you do during the meeting, but what you do before and after the meeting. Here are four of the practices that we teach:
1. Take ownership of the agenda. Before the meeting, decide what outcomes you want, what decisions need to be made, the time required, what information will be provided, and who needs to be included. Once the focus of the meeting is decided, send out the agenda in advance, as well as any background materials..
2. Stay Focused. During the meeting, remember the following mantra. “Make sure we’re having the conversation we need to have.When people get off topic, the meeting facilitator is responsible for staying on point.. Offending people shouldn’t be your concern; people appreciate strong leadership..
Introduce each item by providing the necessary context and linkage to previous decisions. Once the discussion begins, keep everyone focused on the agenda topic. If an extraneous topic gets introduced, put it in the “parking lot” and decide later whether it warrants a separate discussion. Give everyone a chance to provide input, and keep a tight watch on the clock.
3. Achieve closure. Before going on to a new item, be confident that the desired outcome has been achieved.. If a conclusion has been reached, make sure it’s understood by everyone.. Clarify the next steps. Decide on who’s going to communicate the results of the discussion.
4. Maintain a tangible record.. As a matter of reminding people what was decided, send out a followup memo after the meeting.. This memo becomes a fail-safe way to check later to ensure that the necessary actions have occurred. It aids in observing effectiveness. Plus, you never have to waste people’s time trying to remember what you did at the last meeting!
Is your organization implementing the practices of high performing organizations? Find out with this free work survey.
