May 26

What your inability to run a meeting says about your ability to run a company

“The way you do anything is the way you do everything.”

It’s surprising to me how often I’m hired by a manager to coach a direct report, and then he’s late to our sessions because the meeting with his boss ran overtime.  Recently, I had a client cancel our session because the CEO of the company was holding a meeting that was supposed to end 90-minutes from its start time; he had already gone an hour overtime and they were only on agenda item 6 of 17!  (An update from my client later that day said the online meeting ran from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM without a break and was scheduled to reconvene at 5:00 PM! What? Are you kidding me?!) Is it any surprise this company is filing bankruptcy?  NO!

Here’s the message your inability to manage a meeting says to your team:

• You don’t have a handle on time management:  I’m not talking about the rare occasion a meeting runs over, I’m talking about the chronic inability to stick to a schedule.  If, as a leader, you are unable to keep a meeting on track, it is unlikely you can consistently and reliably make the tough decisions to keep the company on track.  Don’t be fooled by profit especially during good times, take a close look at your level of waste and consider how well you will survive during tough times.
• You don’t respect other people’s time: Although I don’t believe most leaders intentionally disrespect other people’s time, it’s important to know–intentionally or not–that’s the message you send to your meeting attendees when you don’t start and end on time.  Additionally, going over on time is typically a lack of control over the meeting. Not being able to stop side conversations or shut down long-winded commentary (yours or other attendees) raises red flags about your ability to manage an entire company.
• You have a lack of integrity with your word: If your team can’t trust your word on something as small as when you will start or end a meeting, how can they trust your word when you’re talking about the issues that matter to the company or to them personally?
• You don’t understand basic human nature: The average attention span of an adult is 10-20 minutes.  Any meeting that runs longer without adequate breaks loses your audience and is a waste of everyone’s time.

What can you do?

• Ask that side conversations be taken offline and scheduled for another time.
• Always end on time.
  • If the agenda isn’t complete, pick the most important items to discuss before the official time ends.
  • Ask those who can stay to stay, but formally end the meeting to allow those with other meetings or important business to leave.
• Follow through with what you say you will do. Trust starts small and builds; remember the little things matter.
• Create breaks in information that encourage interaction and/or establish physical breaks every 15-20 minutes to continue engagement.

It takes strong leadership to run a business today. Turning meetings into a productive use of time for your team, and making them a tool to move your company closer to its goals will benefit you and the company. Once your team members see that meetings are productive, and their time is respected, their confidence in your leadership will grow creating a more engaged and loyal workforce dedicated to bringing the company to the next level.

Laura Treonze, serves as Chief Life Strategist with LMT Consulting, which helps executives and teams create massive success through self-awareness. Her life-changing approach has transformed individuals and families and has redefined the way non-profits and corporations “do” business.