Treasure
Hunt, Part 1
Meetings and
Decision Making
The Problem: Poorly run meetings — those held for the wrong reasons, that don't involve the right participants, or that don't use a disciplined meeting process — can waste the time, resources, and money of an organization. Not only are they a financial drain, they have the potential to make participants feel perpetually frustrated and unproductive. Further, decisions made during problem-solving sessions are legacies businesses often have to live with for a long time. Without the right tools, however, people making complex decisions can rush to conclusions that can quickly fall apart and may even cause harm.
Directions: For each item, select the answer that best describes your organization. At the end of each section, get your clues!
Section A:
| In this section, discover whether your company may already be enjoying productive meetings and decision making. Each performance opportunity shown below has a range of possible responses. Your business may fall at a different point on the spectrum for each one. |
| People cannot expect to influence what occurs in meetings. Training people to run them won’t help. |
 |
We respect people’s time, ideas, and talents. We train people to focus and collaborate effectively in meetings. |
| Only management has the ability and the authority to decide anything important at meetings. | |
We teach everyone to use brainstorming and problem-solving tools to reach sound decisions. |
Clues: Do you see more alignment with the approaches on the left or the right? If you picked the left, your business is probably still struggling with less-than-ideal meetings and decisions.
Section B:
Next, ask yourself...What happens at the meetings you hold or attend?
| 1. |
Are the meetings structured and well run? For example, do the attendees receive agendas in advance? Are agendas followed during meetings? Do meetings start and end on time? Are they documented? |
| 2. |
Do people reach satisfying outcomes in meetings? Do the participants use effective brainstorming and problem-solving tools? |
| 3. |
Do attendees record and act on their decisions and plans? Are actionees accountable for their assignments? |
| 4. |
Are meetings conducted on a "level playing field"? Is everyone encouraged to speak up regardless of position or status? |
Clues: If your notes indicate that each answer is “no,” your business is probably missing opportunities to pump up productivity through effective meetings.
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Part 2 >>
