New Leaders

Transforming Meetings: From Agenda-driven to Perspective-focused

/ Jonathan Sachs

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Meetings.

The word itself probably sends a shiver up your spine.

Meetings are a ubiquitous part of life in the working world. It is an inevitable, yet often flawed, sharing and collaboration tool for any organization involving multiple people.

In this post, I am going to talk about one of my own pet peeves in meetings: Are the participants sharing their perspective or their agenda?

Sharing your perspective is almost always the intent of a meeting. On the other hand, pushing your agenda usually wastes time and distracts from the topic at hand.

Bring your perspective to a meeting, not your agenda

Sharing your Perspective in a Meeting

Meetings exist to engage in a dialogue and to hear different perspectives in order to make the best possible decision.

It is for this reason that many successful organizations have regulated meetings to ensure there is more dialogue and perspective sharing.

For example, Amazon limits meetings to what founder Jeff Bezos referred to as the “Two pizza rule.” The rule states that he won’t attend a meeting if two pizzas won’t feed the number of attendees. Amazon also banned powerpoint presentations and uses a different tactic to level-set during a meeting.

At Amazon, the person who calls the meeting drafts a short memo that everyone attending the meeting reads independently in the first 10-minutes of the meeting. That allows more time for questions and dialogue and less for long dog-and-pony-show presentations.

Elon Musk is known for asking his employees to leave a meeting if they are not contributing to it, because it is wasting time where they could be doing other work.

These leaders understand that there is more to learn from the people they have hired to make the best decision.

In high functioning meetings, there is a high degree of trust, which allows the team to share their perspectives freely. Comments build off of each other and ideas come together with contributions from nearly everyone present. Both people who have a perspective in-favor and opposed are given space to share because the outcome of a better decision is an important goal.

I have found that meetings like this often give me energy rather than take it away. This is the exact opposite is true in a meeting where everyone is sharing their agenda.

Sharing your Agenda in a Meeting

Unfortunately, most of the time meetings exist to have, “One way conversations.”

This may look like the person leading the meeting occupying the majority of time with a powerpoint, suggesting a decision, and then leaving minimal time for input. This gives the impression that a decision has already been made.

It could also look like a participant interjecting a speech that is not relevant to the discussion but advances their role or project. They are not looking to contribute to the topic of the meeting, but rather solicit other attendees to help them with their work.

Sometimes it looks like a senior leader expressing his agenda and looking for the attendees to agree with him.

All of these examples are unhealthy dynamics.

In fact, many of these are “Simple Sabotage” tactics. These concept was advanced by the CIA in 1944 and they published a “Simple Sabotage Field Manual,” used to train potential foreign saboteurs. It has since been declassified.

Some of the tactics in the Field Manual refer specifically to behaviors in meetings:

  • Make “speeches.” Talk as frequently as possible and at great length. Illustrate your “points” by long anecdotes and accounts of personal experiences.
  • When possible, refer all matters to committees, for “further study and consideration.” Attempt to make the committee as large as possible — never less than five.
  • Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible.

Most people who bring their agenda to a meeting are sabotaging something – the decision, satisfaction, or morale – and they don’t even realize it. By bringing your agenda to a meeting to make a decision, you may be doing just that.

The Problem in Large Organizations

I’ve spent the majority of my career working in large organizations. This meeting problem is notoriously bad. Most of my days were spent in meetings, hearing the same message over and over again, but with slightly different combinations of other executives.

The problem at the root of this meeting misery is unclear authority. Many of the meetings take place because it is unclear who has the authority to make a final decision. This leads to meeting after meeting on the same topic, looking for who is willing to make the decision to move forward. I saw this particularly at the corporate level of an organization.

Senior leaders in large organizations are sometimes managing egos, politics, and the desire to avoid blame. That often leads to suboptimal decisions make through suboptimal processes, including suboptimal meetings.

Industry leaders of large organizations, like Bezos and Musk, understand this risk and have created systems to avoid it.

The role of a Leader in the Meeting

Fundamentally, a leader’s role in a meeting is to facilitate the conversation and then decide how a final
“Go or no go,” decision will be made.

Facilitating a conversation is an art. It involves setting the right goals, ground rules, and agenda. It also involves managing dominating voices and encouraging quieter participants.

A final decision can be made in a number of ways – majority, consensus, delegated authority, or a sole decision maker. Each one should be used in the appropriate situation. What is important for the leader to do is define how the decision is being made. That often prevents disappointment and frustration from the participants in the meeting.

Key Takeaways

Effective meetings prioritize perspective sharing, encourage open dialogue, and prevent personal agendas from hijacking the conversation. Leaders play a crucial role in facilitating discussions and defining decision-making processes to ensure productive outcomes.

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5 Ways for New Leaders To Meet With Their Teams

/ Jonathan Sachs

Facilitating discussions and meetings is an essential skill for leaders, especially in business.

Effective facilitation enables leaders to tap into their team’s collective intelligence, generate new ideas, and make well-informed decisions. The best leaders understand this and possess an exceptional ability to create an environment that encourages open and productive communication.

Jeff Bezos advise for new leaders on facilitating meetings

Why are great leaders gifted at facilitating discussion and meeting?

Great leaders understand that their team’s collective intelligence is far greater than any one person’s smarts. To have the best results possible, leaders create an environment where team members feel encouraged to express their ideas and opinions. In addition, they possess excellent communication skills that enable them to listen actively, ask questions, and provide constructive feedback. Most of them are curious at their core. They also possess the ability to keep discussions on track, ensuring that the team remains focused on the agenda and achieves the set goals.

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are two examples of business leaders who excel at facilitating discussions and meetings. In a recent interview, Musk highlighted that he has a “no PowerPoint” rule in his meetings. He prefers that his team members express their ideas verbally and then encourages open and frank discussions based on the verbal presentation. This approach allows for a freer flow of ideas and prevents the suppression of any potentially great ideas that might have been lost waiting for a break in the presentation to ask questions. Musk is also known for asking people who are not contributing to leave a meeting and go work on something more productive.

Jeff Bezos, on the other hand, has a “two-pizza rule” for meetings. He limits the number of people in a meeting to those who can be fed with two pizzas. This approach encourages smaller, more focused meetings, where everyone can have their voice heard and contribute to the discussions.

Five ways leaders can be better meeting facilitators

  1. Prepare: Leaders should have a clear agenda for the meeting and ensure that all team members are aware of the agenda beforehand. This helps team members prepare and ensures that discussions are productive and focused.
  2. Encourage participation: Leaders should create an environment where team members feel safe and encouraged to share their ideas and opinions. Leaders should actively seek the participation of all team members. To create an environment where everyone on the team can participate, regardless of whether they are in the office or working from home, I use the 55″ Vibe Board and the Owl Camera. These tools help to encourage participation and inclusion.
  3. Active listening: Leaders should seek to understand their ideas and opinions by asking probing questions. This helps to build trust and encourages team members to share more openly.
  4. Keep discussions on track: Leaders should ensure that discussions remain focused on the goals of the meeting and set clear timelines. Leaders should also prevent discussions from being sidetracked or dominated by a single team member.
  5. Evaluate and improve: Leaders should seek feedback from their team members on how they can improve as a facilitator to capture more ideas.

In conclusion, great leaders possess exceptional facilitation skills that enable them to tap into their team’s collective intelligence, generate new ideas, and make well-informed decisions. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are excellent examples of leaders who excel in facilitating discussions and lead productive meetings. By preparing adequately, encouraging participation, active listening, keeping discussions on track, and evaluating and improving, leaders can become better meeting facilitators and drive their team’s success.

Key Takeaway

Effective facilitation skills are essential for leaders to tap into their team’s collective intelligence and make well-informed decisions. By preparing adequately, encouraging participation, active listening, keeping discussions on track, and evaluating and improving, leaders can become better meeting facilitators and drive their team’s success.

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Creating a Culture of Trust and Cooperation: Lessons from ‘Leaders Eat Last’ by Simon Sinek for New Leaders

/ Jonathan Sachs

Becoming an effective leader requires more than just holding a position of authority. To lead a team effectively, leaders need to inspire and motivate their team members to achieve common goals. One of the most insightful books on leadership is “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek. In this book, Sinek shares strategies and principles that can help anyone become a better leader.

Why I refer this book to all new leaders I meet

Sinek’s most popular book, Start with Why, which accompanied one of the most viewed TED Talks of all time, is an essential read. I have even reviewed it on this blog! Start with Why contains extremely important information on how excellent leaders communicate, and Leaders Eat Last builds upon those concepts discussing the essence of what it means to be a servant leader. To a servant leader, being in leadership is not about a title, control, prestige, or advancement. It’s fundamentally about service, calling, and mission.

Sinek discusses lessons from government and businesses about servant leadership. He also discusses generational differences in the workplace, which I believe is an under-appreciated topic.

Summary of Leaders Eat Last

The book’s title comes from a practice in the U.S. Marine Corps where leaders prioritize the needs of their team over their own. This simple concept is the foundation of the book. Sinek argues that true leaders prioritize the well-being of their team members, which creates a culture of trust and cooperation.

Simon Sinek's book "Leaders Eat Last" takes lessons from the Navy Seals and US Marine Corps on what it means to be a servant leader. The book is an essential read for new leaders.
CORONADO, Calif. (Jan. 23, 2018) U.S. Navy SEAL candidates participate in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. Special Forces and are trained to conduct a variety of operations from the sea, air and land. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abe McNatt/Released)

Sinek emphasizes the importance of creating a sense of belonging and purpose in a team. He gives the example of a company called Barry-Wehmiller, where CEO Bob Chapman created a culture of care and respect for his employees. By deliberately building trust, Chapman created a sense of purpose that motivated his employees to work harder and achieve more. This example illustrates that to get results as a modern leader, it is imperative to create an environment where people feel valued and inspired.

As I mentioned earlier in this post, the book also discusses the concept of “servant leadership.” Sinek explains that servant leaders prioritize the needs of their team members, rather than their own interests. He says, “True leaders are not those who strive to be first, but those who are first to strive and who give their all for the success of the team.” By serving their team, leaders create a culture of trust and respect that empowers team members to take ownership of their work. When employees take ownership and responsibility over the work, quality tends to increase because they feel like the work reflects on them personally. That type of pride can help teams achieve tremendous results. Building an environment where people are empowered and feel ownership creates incredible results, particularly in customer service and experience.

Lessons Learned

In conclusion, “Leaders Eat Last” is an essential read for anyone looking to become a better leader, especially those who are new to leadership. By prioritizing the well-being of their team members, creating a sense of purpose and belonging, and practicing servant leadership, leaders can inspire their team members to work harder and achieve more. As Sinek says, “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” By following the principles outlined in this book, anyone can become an effective and respected leader.

Fundamentally, “Leaders Eat Last” discusses what it takes to succeed as a modern leader. By showing those on your team that supporting them is more important than hierarchy or command-and-control, it will help leaders accomplish broader and more complex goals.

Key Takeaway

“Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek shares key messages about effective leadership, including prioritizing the well-being of team members, creating a sense of purpose and belonging, and practicing servant leadership. By following these principles, new leaders can become an effective and respected.

Leaders Eat Last  is available for purchase on Amazon

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