It takes courage for most people to speak up in meetings.
It doesn’t take much to convince them to not say anything.
It’s easy to not be truthful, when telling the truth needs courage. To pretend that everything is ok when it’s not is the most common lie in meetings.
Leaders need to be careful how they set the tone and structure of meetings to ensure they’re not creating reasons for people not to say what should be said.
This is especially true in regular team meetings.
Hierarchy is a thing.
You may not sense it but your new or junior people certainly do. Your most experienced people also know where that line is…
Fear shuts down rational thinking. Even the brave person who speaks up is likely not thinking clearly.
PTSD is real.
If your regular Friday meeting was a traumatic event even once, don’t be surprised if your team’s reactions in future meetings are negative.
It takes courage for most people to speak up in meetings. Do you only want to hear from the brave ones?
Diversity is important because different views are valuable when you’re trying to solve new or complex problems.
Diversity isn’t just a recruitment issue, meetings have to allow diverse views to be heard. That’s part of the leader’s job.
Do you structure regular items into your meetings which new or junior members can present, or expect them to interrupt?
Do you allow team members to discuss issues or tell them how to solve problems?
How patient are you when you disagree with views or outcomes?
When strong views or emotions are needed, do you let them be the last words, or bring the temperature back down to problem solving level before the end?
“the brave person who speaks up is likely not thinking clearly..”
When after-meetings are held, (which always happens) do people build on what happened in the meeting or tear them down?
Do you talk about the elephant in the room? Do you have the courage to make it the topic, not the avoided issue?
Meetings can add value to immediate and future decisions or detract from them.
Meetings can also be a time when people can learn and grow by being encouraged to overcome their fears.
Are your meetings helping grow people or control them?