It’s yet another weekly production meeting. Everyone shows up, sits down and takes a turn in reporting what’s going on in their corner of the nursery. At first glance this looks like a great way to keep everyone up to date, but could it be sabotaging your company’s future success?
Surely something as simple as a meeting is a business basic, right? Some business owners would disagree.
By challenging the assumptions about regular company meetings, they found something remarkable -- competitive advantage.
It’s not that tracking company performance is wrong, but there are other ways to issue status reports on projects more efficiently. E-mail, Intranets (Internet sites accessed only by approved visitors) and old-fashioned paper can allow information to be absorbed more quickly than verbal presentations at meetings.
Why not use the invaluable time taken at regular meetings for what we wish we had more time for -- solving problems?
Can we be frank?
Another big drawback to business meetings is that people don’t like revealing their problems. We’d rather take the time to talk about our great achievements than talk about where our personal performance was lacking.
Divulging our problems could make us look weak or incompetent, or diminish our demonstration of brilliance to those who could promote us.
Of course if your company is rife with dishonesty, you probably have bigger fish to fry than ineffective time spent in meetings. But for the rest of the world, time in meetings is usually better spent discussing problems than going over great successes.
Examples of organizational successes using this methodology are buried in the literature, from examples of “skunk-works” projects to the recent success of
“We all know you are a good manager; otherwise, we would not have hired you. But please talk to us about your problems so we can all work on them together,” he said.
Of course, the rest is history.
Focus on follies
Focusing on problem solving rather than reporting on good performance offers companies key benefits.
More efficient use of time. Time is scarce and getting scarcer. Companies that use face-to-face time for problem solving use the power of human dialogue versus wasting it on monologues.
These businesses create solutions and address decisions on the issues that matter. Project status reports are important, but this one-way information can be transferred using other more-efficient means.
Higher motivation. Solving problems generates more positive energy than status reports. Celebration and acknowledgement of good performance should be done, but in more meaningful ways then self proclamation in short slots of meeting agendas.
When a strong staff is free to expose real issues and work on them, it pulls the team together and lessens the effect of demoralizing egos on the organizational agenda.
Profits. Toyota got to the top by continuously seeking improvements, finding and resolving problems and enhancing competitive advantage.
Tolerating a culture that avoids tough issues to look good or satisfy personal interests guarantees a dramatic financial failure. This has toppled the largest of companies, some whose executives are now facing prison time.
Make it happen
Shifting your company’s culture to embrace problem-solving meetings can be tough. It takes more than an e-mail announcement or a speech. Some ideas include:
1. Assess management meetings you are now attending and determine if they really are necessary. If not, distribute information from those meetings using other methods.
2. If the meeting is important, shift the agenda from focusing on performance accolades to sharing and solving problems.
3. Challenge those who “don’t have problems.” Are they playing hard enough? Are they holding their cards too close to their vests?
4. Notice the level of defensiveness in the culture. Are people coachable? Can they disclose issues easily? Can they take feedback without it seeming so personal?
5. Lead by example. Surface your problems first. This can be difficult, but it shows you are serious. It allows you to start challenging the group.
Start asking questions like, “Even though you’re performing well, what’s not working or can be improved in your department?”
“What is your greatest personal challenge or concern we should be talking about today?”
“Where in your area are you having the most problems?”
This doesn’t mean that project performance reports shouldn’t be on the agenda. A few accolades can be appropriate, but surfacing and focusing on problems and projects that are off course should be the focus.
Is every nursery ready for this approach? No. It requires a strong, confident staff. Only solid teams thrive in an open and supporting culture. On the other hand, weak teams don’t have the courage to disclose their issues and accept help. But then, if that’s the case, perhaps you have other problems.
- Don Schmincke
Don Schmincke is a business consultant and author of “The Code of the Executive.” (866) 532-3866; www.sagaleadership.com.