The Timeshare Beat: Jerry Sikes; With Regard to Meetings

According to a recent study conducted by Microsoft, seven of ten Americans believe most meetings are unproductive, if not excruciating, and yet workers average 5.5 hours a week in meetings. Judith Glaser executive coach and author recently stated: "Leaders are not sure of how to adjust to the shifts of new competition, the fear of losing market share. Thus, there is a bigger need for more frequent meetings to 'figure it out'. Yet more meetings do not translate to better meetings."

Steve Kaye, author of The Manager's Pocket Guide to Effective Meetings, Meetings in an Hour or Less, and 117 Tips for Effective Meeting, believes that executives actually want to hold bad meetings because…

They provide refuge. Bad meetings provide a sophisticated form of executive busyness. Some people find this useful because it keeps them from having to work on difficult tasks such as planning, coaching, learning and communicating. Compared to these difficult tasks, sitting in a conference room is easy.

They avoid responsibility. Bad meetings never end with decisions, which means that no one ends up being held responsible for doing anything. Some people find this useful because responsibility implies accountability and accountability requires results. Thus, without responsibility there is no failure and everyone appears to perform well.

They provide excitement. Bad meetings feature all of the elements of a good drama, such as conflict, tension, and pain. For example, the participants deliver self-aggrandizing reports, denigrate their colleagues, and engage in politics. Some really terrible meetings play out like pathetic battlegrounds with verbal gladiators battling for favors while the boss watches.

They serve food and/or beverages. Bad meetings become an enviable executive perk when they provide snacks, coffee, and (sometimes) meals. The attendees then use eating to offset the boredom of having to hear meaningless discussions.

They entertain. Bad meetings resemble a party. People tell stories, trade jokes, and argue over trivia. Some meetings feature comedy performances by the office fool. Others feature humorous belittlements by the office bully. And if neither of these occurs, the absolutely unbelievable discussions amaze and entertain everyone.

Mr. Kaye indicates that… An effective meeting is business activity where people work together and produce decisions that someone is responsible for implementing. Effective meetings occur in a safe environment of respect where those in attendance use process tools to make methodical progress toward results. He believed that beverages and snacks should be a separate activity used to build relationships.

What I have found is that people don't take meetings seriously. They arrive late, leave early, and have little, if anything, to contribute. Most don't think meetings are a place to work and are a waste of time because people wander off the subject at hand. It is a place the participants spend more time digressing than discussing. This means there are lots of conservation but very little candor. Generally speaking, important information is missing thus nothing can be decided and no plan of action is forthcoming. However, the fact is that meetings are an essential part of our day-to-day operations and an expression of our organization's culture. If we do not convert our meetings into productive work sessions they will eventually send messages to our people that can ultimately undercut performance, undermine loyalty, and lower morale.

In order to avoid bad meetings some very special people need to be present. They are the:

Leader - That calls meeting, determines objective, and prepares and sends agenda,
Facilitator - That runs meeting, keeps to the agenda, neutralizes dissension
Timer - That times each meeting component and signals when to move on
Recorder - That records and displays ideas and decisions, may need more than one when brainstorming
Vibes watcher - That takes meeting pulse and suggests breaks or changes
Arranger - That makes physical and travel arrangements, guests, facilities, and equipment
Refueler - That arranges for water, coffee, meals, or snacks
Secretary - That provides and distributes permanent record of the meeting plus key documents
Gofer - That handles unexpected situations or gets needed items
Enforcer - That reminds people of the meeting time, devises humorous penalties and rewards.

[Note] Some of these roles may be played by the same individual.

These people will usually arrive on time with a full understanding of the allotted time set aside to deal with the issues at hand and conclude the meeting at the preset time. They will arrive with the agenda they received prior to the meeting and with the documentation or information needed to precede toward a resolution of all agenda items. They understand what the rules are and will act out there roles within the confines of those rules. They come prepared to make something happen, to plan for some action, the who - what - when, and when called upon to be part of the solution, make the necessary commitments (on the record).

Final thought
I think that almost everyone can recognize a bad meeting because we have all attended way to many of them. When I attend such meetings I am reminded of the acronym - ABADMEETING.