Running an Effective Team Meeting

¶ … Running an Effective Team Meeting One potential problem associated with running a team meeting is that the leader in charge of the team meeting, in charge of setting the agenda and moving the meeting along productively has not been trained, is ill-equipped in "people skills," or just has not done the homework. There may have been a "leader" who called the meeting together, but if he or she thinks the meeting will just "flow" without strong direction, a big mistake is being made, and time is being wasted.

Leadership means setting an example," former Chrysler CEO Le Iacocca said; "when you find yourself in a position of leadership, people follow your every move." That is also the case in a team meeting.

According to the Keller Williams Realty Agent Leadership Council Clinic (Keller Williams Realty, Inc., 2004), the leader of the team meeting's first and basic task is that she or he must have done the necessary homework in order to: a) define the problem to be approached and/or solved during the meeting; b) research and carefully present all available and pertinent information about the problem; c) determine what the criteria should be utilized in the process of approaching and solving the problem; d) have some possible solutions prepared, share them with the team, and solicit comments and additional solutions from the team; e) discuss and reach consensus as to which solutions meet the criteria which had earlier been spelled out.

PROBLEM #2: A leader must be able to move the team into a position of "collaboration," rather than just "cooperation." Just getting cooperation from the team does not lead to success, progress, or building blocks for future problem solving. And so, a common problem in team meetings is thinking that "cooperation" alone will not produce results. After all, the cooperation has already occurred by the fact that the members had agreed to be a part of the team, have arrived on time, and are there in the spirit of assistance.

John C. Maxwell, who lectures around the country on leadership qualities - his books, including The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player, are New York Times Best Sellers - says that "cooperation is working together agreeably. Collaboration is working together aggressively." In collaborative team meetings, "each player brings something to the table that adds value" to the power of the team. This means team members viewing teammates "as collaborators, not competitors"; concentrating on the team, "not on [themselves]"; and "creating victories through multiplication.

PROBLEM #3: Team meetings can, unfortunately, become a clash of egos, a battle for power and control of the conversation, and/or a "***** session" in which all the flaws of the company are aired. First of all, a strong leader will not, in most cases, let this situation arise, although, if it is an open meeting and all views are allowed, trying to stifle the expression of opinions could backfire for the leader.

But if the rules of the game are not fully spelled out, and if the mission of the company - and the team - is not clearly understood, and flushed out, the team's direction can wander.

The Keller Williams Realty Agent Leadership Council Clinic says that in team meetings, all team members must be made aware of the following about the company, prior to launching into problem-solving or brain-storming: the mission (why the company is in business); the vision (what the world will look like after the company's mission has been accomplished); the values (principles the company operates under in order to reach its mission and vision); the beliefs (what is true, according to the company's honest appraisal); and the perspective (how the company sees itself).

PROBLEM #4: Prior to the first meeting of the group, the selection process is flawed, and as a result, teams sometimes are poorly put together; just because 8 people from the creative department are brought together in a room, with coffee, bagels, and comfortable chairs around a nice table, doesn't mean there are a "team." Can they build relationships with each other? Are they that kind of people? If not, there is no "team." John C.

Maxwell, in his book, The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player (pp.110-113), writes that there are several ways to know whether, after a meeting or two, whether individuals have "built solid relationships with other team members." One, each must respect the other; two, there must be shared experiences; three, trust must developed; four, there must be reciprocity ("one-sided relationships don't last"); and five, the people who are members of the team must have a mutual enjoyment.

PROBLEM #5: Sometimes meetings move along toward the end of the allotted time but not everyone's needs are met: some team members might be less open with their views, and may feel.