Here's how you can ensure all team members feel heard and valued in problem-solving meetings.

Active listening in meetings is crucial for accountants. It ensures understanding, fosters collaboration, and builds trust. At my international rig company, practicing active listening allowed me to accurately address concerns and contribute valuable insights, enhancing team decision-making and strengthening client relationships.

Each team member, especially the most junior one, needs to feel being heard, at all the meetings. Your team is as good as the weakest link.

This means more than just hearing words, it’s about understanding the underlying messages. Encourage team members to not only listen but to reflect back what they’ve heard to confirm understanding. This practice helps prevent misunderstandings and shows genuine interest in each person’s input.

I am glad that active listening is first on the list. Active listening is one of the most important skills a leader can acquire. I say acquire because anyone can learn this skill, it just takes practice. I was fortunate to have read Dale Carnegie's book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" early in my career. I am thankful to have learned the value of active listening early. In my experience, few people have mastered this art. I highly recommend that you invest in yourself, read Carnegie's book, and practice the art of active listening! Begin the journey, today!

The ability to listen is a very unique gift, and to this day, I find it difficult to understand why it is so hard for some people to listen more and talk less. As directors and top executives of a corporation, we must take the time to actively listen to the ideas, problems, insecurities, and inputs of our collaborators. They need to know that their peculiarities are understood and, at the very least, heard. We must promote this quality within the entire management team to build trust, learn from the staff who are in direct contact with our customers, and hear personal experiences that can inspire new models to apply in our companies.

Set up a meeting structure that allows everyone to contribute. This could involve round-robin sharing, where each person gets a turn to speak without interruptions, or using tools like collaborative software where team members can post ideas anonymously if they prefer. This ensures that even the quieter members have a platform to share their thoughts.

Make it a point to recognize and appreciate each contribution, no matter how small. This can be as simple as saying, ‘Thanks, that’s a great point,’ during the meeting or highlighting key contributions in follow-up emails. Acknowledging efforts publicly reinforces that every opinion is valued and boosts morale.

When contribution from others are acknowledged, they feel more comfortable and improve on ways at achieving the general goals of the organization.

When the contributions of others are recognized, we are showing gratitude for the unique perspective and understanding an individual brings to the team. NEVER underestimate the power of gratitude! When we show gratitude to others we let them know they bring value to the team. We all want to know we are making a difference. Gratitude (acknowledging contributions) builds value, value brings confidence, and confidence gives our people the encouragement they need to speak up and share their insights and knowledge. Have you shared that you are grateful for someone today?

Incorporating recognition into the organizational culture is a good practice that enhances the commitment and motivation of our collaborators. We must first understand how the human psyche works to steer an organization in the right direction. With various personalities in constant daily interaction, failing to understand the most basic individual personalities and needs would be a significant mistake. Moreover, public recognition, a reward, or applause resonates with the rest of the team, creating a healthy and positive organizational environment.

Constructive feedback is essential for growth as an accountant. Providing clear, actionable insights helps colleagues improve and fosters a supportive environment. At my international rig company, offering constructive feedback enhanced team skills and performance, leading to more accurate financial reporting and stronger client trust.

Constructive feedback helps in building trust between team members and leadership. When feedback is delivered to help rather than criticize, it opens channels of communication. Employees feel more at ease expressing their thoughts and concerns, knowing that their contributions are recognized and their growth is supported. This mutual trust fosters a culture of openness, where innovative ideas can flourish. Constructive feedback is a great way to invest in our team!

I would not neglect one-on-one relationships with staff or the opportunities that executives should provide to ask how things are going, what they need, and what ideas they have for improving tasks or the performance of the commercial or marketing plan. Inquire about their personal matters, ensuring they are okay (without delving into very deep details). An executive's capacity for empathy will be quickly noticed by those more sensitive employees who need time and attention for their own perspectives. This valuable exercise will bring positive results in the short term.

Deliver feedback that’s meant to build, not break. Frame critiques in a way that promotes growth and learning, such as, ‘I see what you’re aiming for, what if we tweak it like this?’ This isn’t just feedback, it’s fuel for better ideas.

L'efficacité d'un commentaire constructif est essentiellement liée à son authenticité et à celle de son auteur. Il ne s'agit pas de confondre un commentaire constructif avec un commentaire flatteur. Le commentaire constructif a bien pour but d'améliorer une situation initiale et de permettre à la personne concernée de réaliser une réelle progression. Il en va de même dans le cadre professionnel comme dans le cadre privé. Ainsi on laissera ses ranc?urs au vestiaire et on choisira un autre moment pour aborder une discorde éventuelle.

Follow-up actions after financial meetings are crucial for accountability and progress. As an accountant at an international rig company, promptly addressing action items and updating stakeholders ensured clarity and momentum. This approach solidified trust, improved financial processes, and reinforced our commitment to excellence and transparency.

Convert discussions into documented action items. This ensures that everyone knows their insights are not just heard but are actively shaping the project’s path forward. It’s a clear signal that their contributions are valuable and vital.

Assign leadership roles in discussions based on expertise, not titles. This empowers individuals to showcase their strengths and reinforces their significance to the team. It’s about creating leaders, not followers.

Practical strategies are offered to ensure all team members feel heard and valued in problem-solving meetings. Emphasizing active listening and creating an inclusive framework, highlights the importance of structured participation to prevent dominance by louder voices and encourage quieter members to contribute. Encouraging members to lead initiatives, reinforces their sense of value and ownership in the decision-making process. Overall, this guide effectively addresses key aspects of fostering a collaborative and respectful meeting environment. By implementing these strategies, teams can enhance engagement, build trust, and ensure diverse perspectives are considered, ultimately leading to more effective and inclusive problem-solving.

Para asegurarte de que todos los miembros del equipo se sientan escuchados y valorados en las reuniones, comienza por establecer un ambiente de respeto y apertura. Fomenta la participación activa, invitando a cada miembro a compartir sus ideas y opiniones. Utiliza técnicas de escucha activa, como parafrasear y hacer preguntas aclaratorias, para demostrar que valoras sus contribuciones. Asigna tiempos específicos para que cada persona hable, evitando que unas pocas voces dominen la conversación. Reconoce y valida las ideas de todos, mostrando aprecio por sus aportes, independientemente de si se implementan o no. Implementa una política de rotación en la facilitación de reuniones para que todos tengan la oportunidad de liderar.

Having a skilled, neutral meeting facilitator who can lay the ground rules for the discussion, engage participants in honest and constructive dialogue, encourage knowledge sharing among participants, and ensure respectful discourse throughout the meeting (or have the ability to diffuse disagreements quickly and keep the conversation on track) is an essential element that cannot be overstated. Having the right facilitator who is respected by all participants as neutral, well-intentioned, and trustworthy is key.

Observe, listen and deep down into the emotions and label them. Try to get to know their feelings and by this way might feel the empathy is there to just share their emotion with the active listening. Which has just mentioned