Meetings get bad press – for good reasons.
They’re useless or unproductive or boring…
They’re a necessary evil…
They waste my valuable time.
Meetings are a useful window into the actual culture of a team and a great way to see real leadership style in action.
They’re also incredibly important for humans to function effectively as a group.
One way to to gauge how well a team functions is to attend a team meeting.
One way to understand where your own team has cultural strengths and opportunities, is to reflect on your own team meetings, or get someone to do so.
If you attend multiple meetings, you have the opportunity to see differences between different leaders and teams, so learn and improve your own.
“Meetings are a great way to see real leadership style in action..”
Is behavior in meetings helping grow people or control them?
Are new or risky ideas welcomed?
Are meetings clearly linked to the team’s objectives and priorities?
Is information shared based on facts or opinions?
Do meetings connect over time to form a longer dialogue or do topics constantly change?
Are you using meetings to help achieve your objectives or help fill your calendar?
Do you control meetings or do they control you?