If you finish meetings confused or distressed, you’re likely experiencing symptoms of a deeper problem within that team.
That confusion might be caused by you, but more likely it’s a leadership problem.
There are 2 types of confusion – Passive and Active.
Passive confusion is simply not knowing what the purpose or outcomes of a meeting were. Not understanding. The after-meetings are usually people wondering “what was that about?”
Active confusion is more serious – when purpose and outcomes are misaligned. When people expect a certain topic or discussion but get something different, or when they suspect that what is said isn’t true.
Either type can be symptoms of a much deeper problem.
If you’re regularly in meetings that are confusing it could be the organization has no unified sense of direction.
Or the leader’s true direction is not what is being stated publicly
Either way it’s unlikely that productive outcomes will result.
The reason why meetings which have aligned purpose are more engaging and useful is nothing to do with harmony and agreement but everything to do with priming. .
Whatever you think is the purpose, your mind is pre-wired with that concept and so ready to receive input on that issue. You’re literally ready to learn.
Primed.
Whether the meeting directly covers your topic or not, your mind will seek out information related to that topic. Something relevant will somehow always come out of the discussion
Brains are like that.
“Confusion .. is likely a leadership problem..”
The problem comes when individuals or groups in the meeting have different purposes (public or private) so there are actually multiple meetings happening at the same time.
A leader’s job is to make the purpose clear, and aligned, so that the meeting is on one topic, not separate topics simultaneously.
Unity of purpose is really evident when it creates powerful and creative meetings. The type of meeting where ideas keep jumping out.
The meetings where ideas and action keep flowing afterwards.
If you don’t have a purpose, don’t be surprised when meetings rock and roll all over the place, and actually slow progress rather than accelerate it.
Good leaders know that the purpose of individual meetings matters less than the long term objectives and priorities of the team. When the long term goal is clear the individual meetings align themselves.
Are your meetings productive and creating new ideas? Do decisions taken feel natural and aligned when taken?
If not, are you on the same path?
Are your private objectives the same as your public ones? It’s impossible to fool your team long term.
Do you have clear objectives?