Making Meetings Work

“Every time you speak, you are auditioning for leadership” said an accomplished academic. ?I had the privilege to study at Harvard five years ago which was life changing. One of the things impressed upon me during my time there was the importance of speaking up…. And not only me speaking up frequently as a female senior leader, but even more importantly, ensuring I encouraged and empowered those in my spheres of influence to also speak up.

?The terrific aspect of a diverse team is, obviously, not everyone is the same… and nearly every team has the following personalities:

-???????John; confident, chatty, extravert, loves speaking up

-???????Jane; considered, thoughtful, speaks when she has something to say

-???????Jin; shy, quiet, introvert, hates speaking so rarely does

-???????Jamie; team joker, big personality, high energy, speaks constantly

?A good leader recognizes the value team diversity brings – solving business problems with creativity thanks to their different perspectives and experiences. And this only happens if John, Jamie, Jane and especially Jin are able to communicate authentically in team environments. It requires conscious leadership every day so your people not only feel they can share their ideas, but know they have the psychological safety to do so at all times. It starts with you setting the culture – an inclusive culture where it is clear that:

-???????EVERYONES point of view matters in the team

-???????ALL voices need to be heard in EVERY meeting

-???????NOBODY is ever made to feel embarrassed when they speak

-???????TOGETHER they realise how powerful they are as a group

As a leader who generally sets up the team meetings and ‘chairs’ these meetings, there are a couple of things I consciously do:

-???????Invite each team member to speak up right from the start of the meeting

-???????During the meeting if it appears there have been some people dominating the discussion, and others not speaking, I specifically call out those who haven’t spoken to provide their perspective

-???????As the meeting draws to a close, I ask each team member if there is anything further and final they wish to say on our topic/agenda (giving them a 2 minute timeframe each) to ensure we have full inclusivity

The above works just as well online as it does in a face to face environment. In fact, I have found many scenarios where more introverted and quieter team members feel more confident and therefore more communicative on a screen vs in person.

Another tip I have used for success when it comes to empowering others to speak up, is giving them the opportunity to lead by rotating the chairing of team meetings. Creating a roster so every team member has the chance to craft the agenda and then lead a team meeting. It empowers others and helps them gain experience in conducting team discussions, and this will work well every time if you have established that culture of inclusivity discussed above. Leadership is about how you behave, not your title.