Pathways to Leadership

Our Mission is to unleash the verybest in People, Teams and Organizations.

Taking a Pre-Defining Moment

by Steven W. Vannoy

Look for "Leadership Gold," the soon to be published book by Steven W. Vannoy and Craig Ross.

What is the single most common workplace activity that involves at least two people, and happens millions of times each day in companies around the globe? (Hint: Most people involved feel it's a waste of their time!) - It's the dreaded "M" word: Meetings!

Some people have gone so far as to jokingly threaten to rename their company (or department) "Meetings R Us." And what is liable to happen when an important meeting is scheduled for late in a busy day when people have low energy and patience? If the meeting leader is not truly in the right mind set the meeting, at best, might accomplish very little - and at worst, might cause more harm than good.

One of my people had that experience recently. A meeting to review the final version of an overdue marketing video was held at 4:30pm. When the video in question was shown to the group, the resulting "suggested changes" began to look to her like a complete redo. The meeting leader, normally a very upstream, Big R (high self-esteem) person who is one of our best listeners, became resistant, angry and shut down completely. The meeting ended with scorch marks on most of the participants. A follow-up meeting was set for 8am the next morning.

Before the second meeting began, she came to me to discuss the fallout from the previous day.

"I sure don't want a repeat of yesterday's fiasco," she stated, "but I also feel strongly that the basic product is good and all it needs is a little tweaking."

This was my opportunity to share one of the Pathways tools that is making a huge difference in my life and in the lives of hundreds of Pathways to Leadership® graduates.

I find that there are two huge defining moments when our attitude can make each day a joy or a trial. One occurs when we go to meetings at work and the other happens when we go home to our families each night.

Most of us practice some form of the Homeward Bound Framework to make our family time and home time dramatically better. It would be crazy not to! Try asking yourself these forward focus questions at least 10 minutes before you get home.

1. What did I learn today that's valuable?
2. What did I do well today?
3. What are the 3 greatest blessings in my life?
4. How can I be the best mom/dad/spouse or friend tonight?

Likewise, at work, Pathways graduates find that using the Meeting Bound Framework before meetings takes only a couple of minutes and creates a frame of mind that is ready to listen and contribute without defensiveness or anger.

These are the questions I asked my staff member to consider before her 8am meeting:

The Meeting Bound Framework

1. What has gone really well with this team lately? (And of course, if you haven't worked with this team before, just ask, what has gone well for you so far this week?)
2. What have I done recently that has contributed to the success of this team?
3. What is my highest vision for this meeting?
4. What is the reason that this vision is so important to me?
5. How can I apply my skills to be the best team member I've ever been?

The 8am marketing meeting ran long, but an important breakthrough resulted which made the video in question much more powerful without extending the deadline or requiring much rework. Best of all, my team came together and left the meeting feeling good about themselves and each other.

How will you be at your best for each of your meetings? When you consider the questions above before each meeting, what difference will that make in your results, in how you serve others, in your energy level and your career? As you make this tool a habit, you will discover a very powerful resource to enhance both!