Meetings Taken for Granted

from Able Leader, May 2003

by Steve Kaye

Out of the box thinking is a popular fad today. And yet, in order to leave a box, you have to realize that you are in one.

For example, the Indians that lived in the Grand Canyon believed the entire world was like the canyon. And so they did not try to find Kansas. Or Hawaii.

Most leaders view their work environment the same way. This can be good if it contributes to success, and bad if it hinders progress.

For example, consider the dark side of business meetings.

Many leaders truly believe that it is normal to spend hours engaged in sincere chit chat. They believe that a meeting should be conducted like a Medieval court. They even believe that a group of people will be able to guess the purpose of a meeting.

They may be like the VP who left his staff meeting after it had gone on for 30 minutes to ask his assistant, "Do you remember why I called this meeting?"

Or the manager who invited 30 software experts to a two-day meeting (actually a $50,000 argument) with no agenda because he didn't want to "spoil the spontaneity by imposing a structure."

Or the manager who was told to reduce the number of meetings that he held and responded by calling an all-day meeting to figure out how.

You must know that a meeting should produce more than donut crumbs.

So, how do you do that?

Of course, the quick answer is to schedule my workshop that shows people how to escape from the box of bad meetings. Or, I can bring order to your next meeting as a facilitator.

Until then, here is an idea that should help: Run your meetings like a business. That is, you would do two things.

1) Have a Plan

No executive would fund a project without a plan. The same should apply to meetings. Thus, always prepare an agenda.

Your agenda should begin with a clear, complete statement of the result that you want. Begin by writing out your goal for the meeting. Then study it. Review it. Revise it until it reflects exactly what you want.

Let's play with a simple example. Suppose your goal was to reduce the budget. Now, is that what you really want to do? Would a better goal, for example, be something like: figure out how to reduce spending on utilities, or reduce the cost of materials, or maintain productivity without buying new equipment? Notice that these goals reduce the budget while producing results more valuable than simply making numbers smaller.

Once your have the goal, then plan activities that will accomplish the goal. Most meetings are conducted using a discussion, which is the least effective process for reaching agreements and making decisions. Instead, use activities that equalize participation and lead to consensus.

By the way, my book, Meetings in an Hour or Less, describes team tools that help people make methodical progress toward agreements and decisions.

2) Earn a Profit

Most meetings produce a loss. That is, the cost of the meeting exceeds the value of what it produces.

Begin by estimating the value of the result that you want from your meeting. If the value seems low or uncertain, then ask yourself if a meeting is warranted. Perhaps, it would be more cost effective to write a memo, make a phone call, or visit the manager next door.

Then design your meeting so that you earn a profit. The cost will be your budgeted labor rate multiplied by the number of participants multiplied by the length of the meeting. Be sure to add the cost of travel, services, and materials. Plan activities where you spend less than the value of the result.

Key Point: A meeting is a business activity.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300