Not long ago, meetings were called to share information. Bringing people together was required to ensure everyone had the same information necessary to do their jobs.
To operate that way today, however, is to put your team at a disadvantage. Team members don’t have to be in the same place at the same time to have the same information. Now, to spend large portions of meeting time to look at powerpoint slides, listen to a couple of people talk endlessly, or review reports is to diminish the talent of a team.
Here’s a question you can ask a team to better optimize its talent: Do we spend our time in meetings doing what we can’t possibly accomplish when we’re apart? For example, do we use our time together to collaboratively analyze and share individual interpretations of pertinent data, problem solve and make decisions – all while developing bonds of trust in the process?
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos runs his meetings different. https://www.inc.com/carmine-gallo/jeff-bezos-bans-powerpoint-in-meetings-his-replacement-is-brilliant.html He doesn’t lead with bullet points; there’s no staring mindlessly at screens getting snippets of data. Instead, he leads his team in crafting the narrative of a successful organization.
You can be the one who empowers your team to do what they want to do: Instead of passively absorbing information, enable them to act on their curiosity, learn and think critically, and solve bigger problems together.
The quickest way to differentiate your team is to maximize the value the team delivers to the business when teammates are together. Your next meeting is your next opportunity to mobilize hearts and minds.
You’re the one to make it happen.
