Jul/090
10 Steps to Improving the Effectiveness of Your Team Meetings
Everyone has heard the funny stories or have seen spoofs on NBC’s The Office…
You know… those lame team meetings and brainstorming sessions.
Team meetings are an absolute essential part of the success of an organization, if and only if, they are effective.
Otherwise, they can be one of the biggest and most ineffectual drains on your store resources.
To help you make your meetings a little more effective, I have compiled a list of meeting “must-haves”.
10 Steps to Improving the Effectiveness of Team Meetings
Appoint a discussion facilitator
Make sure there is someone overseeing the entire discussion. Otherwise, you will have an absolute free-for-all. If no one is in charge, then everyone is in charge, and that leads to chaos.
Agree to the objective of the discussion
When your team enters a meeting it is helpful to have extreme clarity on your objective. Not only do you have to know what you want to accomplish, but you have to be able to tell your team in eight words or less so they can follow.
Decide on the decision making mechanism
Choose how you will reach your final decision before you get to decision time. If there is going to be a vote, good, let them know first. If you are getting feedback and opinions so that you yourself can make the decision, good, let them know ahead of time. If your team puts in a bunch of feedback with certain expectations in advance, and that is flipped on them, they will frustrated and ignored.
Insist that everyone contributes
Team meetings are just that, team meetings. The power of your store resides in the collective whole, or the combined brainpower of your team. There may be some members of your team that have great ideas but they’re just not as loud or outgoing as others. The job of the facilitator is to make sure that everyone is contributing.
Capture all relevant information
If you write ideas down as they come to you, you won’t miss a thing. Many a team member has come up with great ideas, only to lose them because the moment of genius was never captured.
Be creative
When you enter a discussion on a certain topic, remember to be creative and free. Some of the best ideas come when you think completely outside of the norm. Genius has never been copied from the “same-old, same-old” so encourage your members to be bold. Being creative means there are no bad ideas.
Be critical
Make sure that you promote healthy argument in your team meetings. Nothing ever gets accomplished and you never grow if you’re surrounded by yes-men. If your team member’s ideas are good enough, then they should be able to defend them.
Review your discussion to date
At the start of every meeting, review past discussions if your topic is an ongoing one. Some members may have missed the last meeting and often times a quick refresher can spark instant creativity.
Apply decision making process to what you know
Now is the time to take all of the ideas, thoughts, and data, and put them through the ringer of your decision making process. Pair down all of the ideas into bullet points that are simple, clear, and direct. That way the final product will be easier to achieve.
Review, confirm, and adapt the decision
After you have reached the decision, open it up to review and constructive criticism. Once the ideas have made through confirm them and put an action plan into place for speedy implementation.
Now stir, cool, and eat:)
I hope this list has given you some good tips and ideas. Happy meetings!
Josh Long
Jul/090
6 Tips for Pulling Your Team Out of Recession
The recession is everywhere these days. It’s like a virus. Few companies have escaped it’s evil clutches. This downturn has made it difficult to manage morale and take care of employee needs. Workplace motivation is at an all-time low, and things are only forecasted to get worse. It is important to keep your team engaged and happy during this recession. Here are six great tips for motivating your team in the face of adversity.
Tell the Truth
Honesty is the best policy when it comes to motivating your team. Employees will be worried about losing their jobs and their lives will be impacted by the recession. Don’t sugarcoat the information that you provide. Be transparent and honest about what is going on in your company. Your team will love and respect you for it.
Talk to the Elephant in the Room
Gossip is the number one killer of workplace motivation. We all know how some members of our team are experts at spreading negativity. Rumors about layoffs, cutbacks, or pay freezes can set your employees’ mouths in motion. When you hear rumors floating around the workplace, address them as quickly as possible. If something becomes parasitic and problematic, you might have to hold a special meeting to get your team back on track.
Get Out of the Store
Motivating your team will be much easier if you all get out of the store and relax. Organize an off-site lunch or special outing as a means of renewal and stirring up creativity. This type of team activity may be costly, but the positive return and ideas will be worth the investment.
Hear Them Out
Workplace motivation during a recession will also be impacted by things that are happening to your employees outside of work. Listen to the challenges they face and be sensitive to their needs and concerns. Everyone likes to be listened to, but few claim to have worked for anyone that cared.
Avoid the Fear Virus
Whenever there is a crisis of any kind, fear is often times a killer. With the threats that recession poses, your employees will be extremely susceptible to fear. Don’t let fear have a negative impact on your company and team. Tell them to focus on the things which can actually be controlled, and forget about those which cannot.
Say “Thanks” and Reward Accomplishments
Motivating your team with recognition and rewards for accomplishments is the most effective means of keeping things moving during a recession. Recognition can be tangible rewards, a certificate of recognition, thank you note, or pat on the back. They all go a long way in employee motivation.
Implementing a combination of these strategies can enhance team motivation in your workplace. The most important thing to remember during this recession is that people and relationships need to be managed with care while it is upon us. Keep the lines of communication between you and your employees open so that you can be successful in stopping the spread of fear and encouraging teamwork. While you cannot control the economy, you can exercise some influence over workplace motivation. After all, our team is everything to us.
Josh Long
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