Meeting that Work

The Key to Autonomy and Concrete Results

Have you ever thought about how to turn a meeting into an opportunity for growth?

In the workplace,  meetings are often perceived as necessary but tedious, an obligation rather than an opportunity. Let's see what people are saying:

• 71% of senior executives say meetings are unproductive andwhat a inefficient (Harvard Business Report); 

• The cost of ineffective meetings reaching a massive $399 billion a year in the US alone (Otter);

• Some people would rather go to the dentist than attend a bad meeting (Better Meetings).

At this point, let us ask ourselves a question:

Why are the convening, planning and management of a meeting not treated like all other business activities?

I have always been convinced that interpreted in this way they can become powerful tools to be really useful (always!) and achieve concrete results.

This article, the latest in a series dedicated to creating autonomy in the company, explores how to transform meetings from mere calendar appointments to true strategic moments that enable team autonomy and decision-making capability.

You might be wondering: "Meetings? What role do meetings play in creating autonomy?"

Strategic meetings are pivotal in promoting autonomy and decision-making effectiveness within organisations. These moments need to be designed with the purpose of:

• Facilitating the flow of information;

• Sharing ideas;

• Making quick and efficient decisions.

To achieve this, each meeting must have a clear purpose, carefully selected participants, and a structure that promotes interaction and collaboration.

From Agenda to Strategy: Restructuring Meetings

A change in perspective can make a difference: instead of compiling an agenda of points to discuss, start by defining the strategic objectives of the meeting. 

Ask yourself, "What specific outcomes do we want to achieve at the end of this meeting?" 

This approach helps keep the focus on business results, ensuring that every meeting contributes concretely to the overall goals of the organisation.

Google, for example, known for its management innovation, has redefined the approach to meetings by introducing "open mic meetings", where each participant has the opportunity to bring ideas and issues directly to the attention of leaders. 

This method has not only optimised the time dedicated to meetings but also promoted an environment where decisions are made quickly and with everyone's input, fueling autonomy and individual responsibility.

But let us now go into detail and find out how you can, in your organisation, get out of the madness of useless meetings and have meetings that really serve:

• Start by drawing up a catalogue of meetings by type. What type of meetings do you have in your organisation (e.g. operational, governance, 1to1, retrospective, etc.)?

• For each type of meeting identified, establish what decisions are to be made and deliverables to be produced. At this stage it is useful to do this in a general, non-specific way;

• Define guidelines (perhaps divided by meeting type), e.g:

  • Check-in at the beginning of the meeting: each participant shares an opening reflection and his/her expectations. Produces engagement and allows everyone to be heard;

  • Agenda-setting: before (useful for strategic or retro meetings) or during the meeting (effective in the case of operational or 1to1 meetings);

  • Choosing and pressing a facilitator (highly recommended if there are more than 5 participants) selected from among the participants and different from the manager/leader;

  • Use techniques to listen to everyone;

  • Allocate a specific time for each phase;

  • Define logic for choosing participants and limiting the number of participants for each type of meeting (if necessary).

• Define pre-work actions that the convener of the meeting and the facilitator must manage so that all participants arrive prepared for the meeting;

• Define follow-up: what documents, actions and ways of monitoring decisions we use after the meeting. How do we ensure that what we have decided is done?

• In 1to1 feedback sessions, keep in mind that the meeting belongs to the recipient. Design that space with that in mind;

• Evaluate the meetings within the whole business operation they are meant to serve. They do not exist in isolation, but as functional elements of the whole context.

By approaching each meeting with a clear strategy, not only is time optimized, but it also actively contributes to the growth and success of the company.

The art of designing strategic meetings is a fundamental piece in building a dynamic, innovative, and autonomous work environment.

Do you agree?

If you do, I invite you to further reflect: Considering the transformation of meetings into strategic tools, what changes could you make in your organization to improve productivity and promote autonomy?