The Essentials of Management, 2nd Edition

16

Inspire meetings

THE AGENDA LOOKED MUCH THE SAME AS USUAL

with nothing special about date or time. But Location, under-

lined in red, jumped out from the rest of the page: ‘We face

a huge challenge this year and our meeting to discuss it starts

beside the Colossus ride at Thorpe Park.’

The average manager attends several dozen meetings a

month and far too many prove to be a waste of time.



Boredom: nine out of ten admit to daydreaming during

meetings and at least four confess to actually falling asleep.



Confusion: uncertainty about what the meeting will

achieve is common.



Conflict: participants seem so busy settling old scores and

winning arguments they never address the job in hand.



Ego: one or two people grab the ‘airtime’, control the

agenda and stop others contributing or getting a hearing.

You can tell an inspiring meeting when everyone feels stimu-

lated to attend and leaves believing it has been worthwhile.

Sometimes an unusual location, like the Colossus ride example,

can bring a meeting alive. In such encounters, people may not

LEIGH_ESSENTIALS_OF_MANAGEMENT.indb 209 18/01/2012 12:33

210 PART 3 MANAGE THE ORGANISATION

always like what they hear, yet still come away uplifted by the

experience and feeling it was worthwhile.

A reputation for running effective, inspiring meetings can

enhance your career. Despite the negative image of meetings as

mainly unproductive places, you will proba-

bly get many things done through them. So it

makes sense to become good at the various

tasks involved: convening, preparing, chair-

ing, participating and ensuring follow-up.

Some managers never master the art of

running effective meetings and consequently

damage their entire careers. Even if you

dislike formal meetings, commit to trying to make them enjoy-

able and productive. Once people realise you nearly always call

worthwhile meetings, with focus, pace and relevance, you will

rapidly attract a good attendance.

Why bother?

Zero in on any meeting on your patch that keeps happening

regularly and review whether it really is necessary. Ritualised

sessions, such as a weekly team gathering, may feel reassuring

yet can acquire a life of its own with people going through the

motions and never really making anything happen.

Lack of focus is a sure way to create dud meetings. Multiple

topics and heavy agendas may look impressive, but people

soon feel overwhelmed and unsure of what they can achieve.

To tighten up on purpose establish a single headline that

sums up what the meeting is about. ‘Before starting can we

just clarify the purpose of this meeting?’ This simple request

can transform meetings riddled with vague intentions into

something more concrete. Hearing the reply you may find

occasionally that you can respond: ‘In that case, I don’t think I

should be here,’ and leave.

a reputation for

running effective,

inspiring meetings

can enhance your

career

LEIGH_ESSENTIALS_OF_MANAGEMENT.indb 210 18/01/2012 12:33

Inspire meetings 211

Once people detect your readiness to withdraw unless

there is clarity of purpose, they tend to ensure it exists before

inviting you. This is one way you can start affecting how the

organisation handles its meetings.

Come prepared

Preparation remains the Achilles’ heel of many managers. Never

assume your mere presence justifies a meeting. Make time to

prepare well: for example, read papers sent for discussion, talk

to people in advance about the issues, collect information and

begin formulating your views.

Once people realise you normally do your homework

they will tend to listen more carefully, giving your views more

weight. With good preparation, you will feel more confident to

listen openly while being careful to show you have not already

made up your mind.

Attendance

Devote time to ensuring the right people attend because their

contribution will be essential or you need their commitment

or involvement in some way. Also, watch out for meeting

creep, where the number attending escalates through fear of

offending certain people or from gatecrashers. Explain why

you have chosen specific people to attend. ‘I need you there

because...’ can prove a compelling incentive for people to turn

up, even though they are extremely busy.

Manage the agenda

Whoever controls the agenda partly controls the meeting. This

underrated skill can save countless wasted hours. Create written

agendas, in advance or right at the start, allocating time accord-

ing to urgency, importance and complexity.

LEIGH_ESSENTIALS_OF_MANAGEMENT.indb 211 18/01/2012 12:33