Leadership: Self-reflection navigator for managers on the quality of meetings

What it's all about

Meetings are a central part of organisational management and serve as a platform for decision-making, collaboration and strategic planning. For leaders, conducting high quality meetings is critical to ensuring effective communication, engagement and productivity. The Self-Reflection Navigator on Meeting Quality provides a comprehensive guide to self-reflection, structured around the key aspects of meeting effectiveness. By addressing these areas, leaders can identify strengths, uncover areas for improvement and implement strategies to optimise their meeting practices.

What is self-reflection?

Self-reflection is the process of consciously thinking about one's thoughts, feelings, decisions and behaviours. In the context of leadership, self-reflection means that managers regularly pause to evaluate their principles, decisions and their impact. This process makes it possible to identify strengths and weaknesses, understand your own behavioural patterns and thus promote personal and professional development

Procedure for self-reflection

Step 1: Create time and space

Schedule regular, undisturbed periods of time for self-reflection. Find a quiet place where you feel comfortable and can concentrate.

Step 2: Define goals

Determine a topic and clear goals for your reflection sessions. Would you like to improve something, analyse decision-making processes or review your management strategy?

Step 3: Ask questions

Ask yourself specific questions about your chosen topic to structure your thoughts and experiences. Use our self-reflection navigators, for example.

Step 4: Honest self-assessment

Be honest with yourself. Analyse both your successes and your failures. Which behaviours have led to positive results? What mistakes could be avoided?

Step 5: Recognise patterns

Identify recurring patterns in your behaviour and decisions. Which habits support your goals? Which ones are holding you back?

Step 6: Create an action plan

Based on your findings, create a concrete action plan. Set realistic goals and define steps to achieve them.

Step 7: Review progress

Review your progress regularly. Have your behaviours and decisions improved? Adapt your action plan if necessary.

Self-reflection navigator for the quality of meetings

I. Preparation phase

1 Clear goals

• Do I formulate clear and specific goals for each meeting?
• Are these objectives communicated to participants in advance?

2 Agenda planning

• Do I create a detailed agenda for each meeting?
• Is the agenda sent to participants in advance?

3 Participant selection

• Do I select the right participants for the meeting?
• Do I consider the relevance and necessity of each participant?

4 Time management

• Am I planning the duration of the meeting realistically?
• Am I making sure there is enough time for all agenda items?

5 Resources and materials

• Am I preparing all necessary resources and materials?
• Are these materials easily accessible to all participants?

II. Conduct of the meeting

6 Starting on time

• Does the meeting start on time?
• Are all participants present on time?

7 Welcome and introduction

• Do I greet the participants appropriately?
• Do I clearly introduce the topics and objectives of the meeting?

8 Moderation

• Am I leading the meeting effectively and purposefully?
• Do I stick to the agenda and keep to the central theme?

9 Participant involvement

• Do I actively encourage the participation of all participants?
• Do I ensure that all opinions and ideas are heard?

10 Discussion culture

• Do I introduce a constructive and respectful culture of discussion?
• Do I encourage open and honest communication?

11 Time management during the meeting

• Do I keep to the planned time for each agenda item?
• Do I prevent discussions from taking too long?

12 Visualisation and presentation

• Do I use appropriate visualisation methods to clarify content?
• Are my presentations clear and understandable?

III Conclusion and follow-up

13 Summary and results

• Do I summarise the most important points and decisions at the end of the meeting?
• Do I make sure that all participants understand the results?

14 Measures and responsibilities

• Do I define clear measures and responsibilities?
• Do I make sure that everyone knows who is responsible for which tasks?

15 Feedback round

• Do I ask for feedback from the participants at the end of the meeting?
• Do I specifically ask for suggestions for improvement?

16 Minutes

• Are minutes of the meeting taken?
• Do I ensure that the minutes are distributed promptly?

17 Follow-up

• Do I follow up on the implementation of the agreed measures?
• Do I regularly review progress and results?

IV. Personal reflection and further development

18 Self-assessment

• Do I regularly reflect on my own performance as a meeting leader?
• Do I identify personal strengths and weaknesses?

19 Training and development

• Do I participate in training or development to improve my meeting skills?
• Do I actively seek opportunities for personal development?

20 Exchange with colleagues

• Do I regularly share best practices in meeting leadership with colleagues?
• Am I open to feedback and new ideas?

V. Technological support

21 Use of meeting tools

• Do I use suitable tools to support my meetings (e.g. video conferencing, collaboration tools)?
• Are these tools user-friendly and efficient?

22 Technical preparation

• Do I make sure that the technology works properly before the meeting?
• Do I have a plan B in case of technical problems?

23 Documentation and archiving

• Do I document important meeting content and decisions digitally?
• Do I archive these documents systematically and accessibly?

VI. communication strategies

24 Transparency and openness

• Do I communicate transparently and openly with meeting participants?
• Do I promote a culture of openness and honesty?

25 Active listening

• Do I practise active listening during the meeting?
• Do I show genuine interest in the participants' contributions?

26 Clarity and precision

• Do I communicate clearly and precisely?
• Do I avoid misunderstandings by using clear wording?

27 Nonverbal communication

• Do I pay attention to my non-verbal communication?
• Does my body language support my verbal communication?

28 Dealing with conflicts

• Do I deal constructively with conflicts in meetings?
• Do I have strategies for conflict resolution?

VII Participant management

29 Involvement of all participants

• Do I ensure that all participants are included and involved?
• Do I promote the integration of reluctant participants?

30 Diversity and inclusion

• Do I pay attention to diversity and inclusion when selecting participants?
• Do I create an inclusive environment in which everyone feels comfortable?

31 Motivation and commitment

• Do I motivate participants to actively participate?
• Do I encourage engagement through positive reinforcement?

VIII Results-orientation

32 Focus on goal achievement

• Am I consistently focussing the meeting on achieving the goal?
• Do I not lose sight of the main goal?

33 Documentation of results

• Do I document the results achieved clearly and comprehensibly?
• Do I make sure that all participants can understand the results?

34 Follow-up strategies

• Do I develop clear follow-up strategies after the meeting?
• Do I consistently follow up on the implementation of decisions?

IX. Meeting culture

35 Culture of appreciation

• Do I promote a culture of appreciation and recognition?
• Do I recognise the contributions of the participants?

36 Promoting innovation

• Do I promote a culture of innovation and creativity?
• Do I encourage participants to contribute new ideas and approaches?

37 Learning culture

• Do I promote a culture of learning and continuous improvement?
• Do I regularly reflect on opportunities for improvement?

X. Evaluation and feedback

38 Continuous evaluation

• Do I carry out regular evaluations of meeting quality?
• Do I use the evaluation results for continuous improvement?

39 Feedback culture

• Do I promote a culture of open feedback?
• Do I give and receive constructive feedback?

40 Adaptability

• Am I flexible and adaptable when conducting meetings?
• Do I respond to feedback and adapt my methods?

XI. Health and well-being

41 Healthy meeting practice

• Do I ensure healthy meeting practices (e.g. regular breaks, appropriate duration)?
• Do I promote the well-being of participants during the meeting?

42 Stress management

• Do I have strategies to manage stress during the meeting?
• Do I promote a stress-free and pleasant meeting environment?

XII. Virtual meetings

43 Technical competence

• Do I have the necessary technical expertise for virtual meetings?
• Do I ensure that all participants are technically well equipped?

44 Virtual interaction

• Do I encourage interaction and participation in virtual meetings?
• Do I use suitable tools for virtual collaboration?

45 Virtual presentation

• Do I make virtual presentations clear and engaging?
• Am I making optimum use of the technical possibilities?

XIII Meeting strategies

46 Long-term meeting strategy

• Am I developing a long-term strategy to optimise meeting quality?
• Do I set clear goals and milestones?

47 Integration into the corporate strategy

• Are my meeting strategies integrated into the overarching corporate strategy?
• Do my meetings contribute to achieving the company's goals?

48 Efficiency and effectiveness

• Do I ensure that my meetings are both efficient and effective?
• Am I making optimum use of resources and avoiding waste?

XIV Creativity and innovation

49 Creativity techniques

• Do I use creativity techniques to find ideas and solve problems?
• Do I encourage creative thinking processes?

50 Culture of innovation

• Do I create a culture that favours innovation?
• Do I encourage participants to contribute new and unconventional ideas?

Further reading

• Doran, G. T. (1981). There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), 35-36.
• Lexico, L. (2022). Reflection. In Lexico.com dictionary.
• Sch?n, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
• Argyris, C. (1991). Teaching smart people how to learn. Harvard Business Review, 69(3), 99-109.
• Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT Press.
• Senge, P. M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Crown Business.
• Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
• Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change. Free Press.
• Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. Jossey-Bass.
• Duhigg, C. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. Random House.
• Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383.
• Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
• Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
• Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Lencioni, P. (2016). The advantage: Why organizational health trumps everything else in business. Jossey-Bass.
• Gino, F. (2018). Rebel talent: Why it pays to break the rules at work and in life. HarperCollins.
• Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. John Wiley & Sons.
• Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2008). Strengths based leadership. Gallup Press.
• Lencioni, P. (2005). Overcoming the five dysfunctions of a team: A field guide. Jossey-Bass.
• Goleman, D. (2013). Focus: The hidden driver of excellence. HarperCollins. Note: We use the assistance of artificial intelligence to increase the structural readability of our texts, to optimise content for users, for the quality management of formal aspects and to generate attractive, context-appropriate images. In addition, AI helps us to analyse reader feedback, adapt to trends and continuously improve our content in order to always offer you the best possible reading experience.

Note: We use the assistance of artificial intelligence to increase the structural readability of our texts, to optimise content for users, for the quality management of formal aspects and to generate attractive, context-appropriate images. In addition, AI helps us to analyse reader feedback, adapt to trends and continuously improve our content in order to always offer you the best possible reading experience.