Don’t Catch the Vapors

Don’t Catch the Vapors - Bad meetings aren’t hard to recognize and the results feel even worse. They’re unfocused, resistant to participation, consumed with a single idea, or saturated with indecision and insecurity. What are these vapors I reference - Answer me this how much time is wasted on meetings weekly 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%?

I have a conference call…and while we are on these critical calls we multi-task and miss the areas of contribution then you hang up and uncertain of what you committed to do during the meeting – therefore perpetuating the vicious cycle.

Sometimes I walk out of meetings and think to myself..."I can never get that hour back in my life". Meaningless meetings cause other problems, too, like the “concussion effect.” That’s when people leave a meeting drained, dazed and confused, instead of excited about the work they’ve just discussed, everyone is exhausted  - “Vapors”.

Run meetings where participants actually participate - consider alternatives, solve problems, make decisions, or assess mistakes and successes to further the divisions or group’s overall improvement. Focus on daily operations or on strategy. Separate the two, since strategy often gets neglected because it doesn’t seem urgent. Shorter, more regular meetings on operations and initiatives will keep focus.

I use a phrase constantly, “it is all about the pre-game”, and its focused on being prepared for anything.  This is about being prepared to contribute during a meeting - what do you need to do differently?  Take responsibility and commit to participate and surpass the expectations of the meeting planner.  One other suggestion is when you get a meeting notice why not make recommendations to control mood, drive desired behaviors, and create focus around knowledge sharing and collaboration.  These motivational elements will build momentum and drive towards outcomes. 

Get out of the vapor and focus on meaningful interactions that move people forward.

Breaking Bad - Squash Silos & Tribalism

Breaking the Silos & Tribalism – Big surprise silos exist, so what can we do about it? there are nuances of personalities, defensive plays, insecurities and operational inefficiencies. Rather than boiling the ocean of industrial psychology, six sigma and leadership skills, let's think about the problems it creates - restricted knowledge flow, diminished creative power, reduced outside focus and enabled hiding places that conceal real problems. 

"Breaking down silos… requires looking inside yourself and asking whether your mindset plays a part in propping up the silos.”

Eliminating silos isn’t easy. Target specific groups, and even people within those departments, to help you dismantle barriers, streamline goals, and make improvements.  Let’s get out in front through dialogue and direct conversations with other regional or national leaders.

Consider your own organization - The ultimate goals align, high-level, but methods vary. What if they teamed up with the leadership team to talk about what “stakeholders”, really want and how to accomplish it? Figure out what activities would make the biggest difference and highest impact in your day-to-day work. Call a meeting to air your differences honestly and to learn a few good things about each other. Then, face the problems individually and focus of the perfect remediation. Skip the details at first. Instead, find common ground for what might happen if you work together. Ask provocative questions and choose one project as a test run.

If you can’t get everyone together, try your own “influence plan”, none of the planning tools in the world will help you achieve your vision if all you do is shuffle around the same old tasks and approaches.

Considerations for your personal and leadership brand (as a leader help drive this individually), by finding people inside the organization to persuade. Get to know them personally and to understand them at work. Your influence will grow. As you share information, your work will become more effective and trust is established – hint this aligned with our effectiveness in storytelling.

Overthinking, Leadership and Curiosity

I think there is a tendency to overestimate and overthink the moment we are living in.  The pace of change in everything we do is faster than it used to be and we are often overwhelmed by what everything means. How can we balance multiple expectations and meaning across different stakeholders and priorities? 

Personal leadership is focused on five key elements:

• Simplify, simplify, simplify

• Improve discovery

• Seek out clarity through curiosity

• Balance transactional support with innovative value delivery.

• Be, and work with people that are interested and interesting.

Leadership and personal leadership is a fluid process of influence, enabling value creation through simplification, discovery, curiosity and commitment.