5 Steps to Manage Effective Meetings

So you’ve held a lot of meetings in your career and haven’t gotten any complaints yet? It’s still a worthy idea to explore our check list and make sure you’re doing everything you can to hold valuable, engaging meetings that don’t waste too much time.

  1. Make It Matter

This may seem like an obvious one but we’ve all sat through those meetings where we wondered why we were there in the first place. Asking employees and colleagues away from their desk for any extended amount of time should be done with purpose, so make sure you have an agenda, a goal and only invite the necessary team members. If your meeting topic can be handled easily in an email, opt for that instead.

  1. What Was That Part About an Agenda?

Before the meeting even begins, when it’s just an idea and a blip on your calendar, you should be compiling information and ideas. Outline your topics and define your goals and then distribute that to the team prior to the meeting so they can prepare anything they might want to add or ask. If everyone goes into the meeting on the same page, imagine how much more could be gained and time could be saved.

  1. Ask For Input

Meetings shouldn’t consistently be lectures where you stand up and blurt out information and everyone else listens. Everyone gets more out of the conference if you allow for collaboration and sharing. If you’re presenting an idea about a certain task or department, ask those who already do that task or work in that department what their input is.

  1. … But Keep in Charge

It’s great if you hold the types of meetings where people can just speak up when they have something to add, but sometimes this can prove problematic. If an argument erupts or someone starts to take over the meeting to prove their own point, you’ll want to step in and take back the reigns. Efficient conversation is good, a hostile takeover is not.

  1. End it with Action

Before everyone leaves the room, ensure you’ve been clear about the next steps. What are the actionable items that need to be executed to accomplish the goals you discussed during the meeting? Who will be in charge of which action items? What’s the time frame for completion? Who will they report to in the process? Be clear about these expectations and be sure to follow up, otherwise your meeting was just hot air.

So in just 5 easy steps, you can take your meetings from inefficient and one-sided to productive, team-building sessions.

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Do you want to motivate and lead your staff more effectively? My executive coaching services can help you hone your leadership skills and clearly define your goals and objectives.

Too Social or Not Social Enough: How to Balance Your Workplace Connections

Mixing Business with Pleasure

Mixing Business with Pleasure

Being too social at work can result in a lack of productivity, office distractions and drama. But being the lone wolf can result in missed opportunities, a lack of team building and negativity. So how do you keep a social balance in the workplace?

Mixing Business with Pleasure

There’s a time and a place for personal conversation while at work. Asking a coworker how their weekend was could be a quick and friendly way to engage before the week starts off, but it could also turn into a loud, long-lasting discussion about family drama or recent vacations.

Sharing too much personal information with coworkers can be inappropriate, especially if it’s not a lateral relationship, so be careful how much you divulge. But be sure to not cause consistent distractions to those around you or to yourself.

Social Media

In this technological age, being social at work can also mean being social online. Are you spending more time checking your Facebook likes and Tweeting about coworkers than you are actually putting in work time? Are you messaging your colleague 3 cubicles away about the lunch menu and how hard your boss has been on you? Not only can this be monitored and subsequently get you in trouble, your productivity level will speak for itself. Catch up on emails and chit chat during lunch breaks and make sure you’re staying focused on the job at hand the rest of the time.

Don’t Skip an Opportunity

Here’s where the real balance comes in. Say your office holds a mingle, an off-site after work social event or a special lunch celebration – are you partaking? You may not love dearly the people you work with, but office social events are a great excuse to actually share your personal side guilt-free. You’re not wasting the company’s time or money yet you’re team building with the peers you rely on 9-5. Taking part in the social opportunities may also introduce you to other team members of executives you didn’t know before and that could lead to other success possibilities.

Balance is Key

So you don’t want to share your life story while on the clock, cause tension between team members or create a massive office distraction, but you also don’t want to miss networking opportunities and chances to shine. Keep your social media use to a minimum while at work and share appropriate amounts at appropriate times and you’re sure to win the hearts and minds of your colleagues.

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Do you want to motivate and lead your staff more effectively? My executive coaching services can help you hone your leadership skills and clearly define your goals and objectives.

Are Your Work Habits Slowing You Down?

Not Being a Team Player

Nobody’s perfect and we all come chock full of our own personal bad habits. But what if your undesirable habits are piling up and creating a case against your work success?

If you think you might be committing some office faux pas and are interested in making some small steps to improvement, ask yourself if any of the following bad habits ring true for you:

Exaggerating the Truth

You may feel you need to “prove yourself” at work and talk up all of your achievements, but are you sure you’re being 100% honest? Misrepresenting your credentials, accomplishments, hours worked, or actively plagiarizing won’t bode well for you once coworkers and bosses start to catch on. If your teammate had a big win, did you take credit for it? Have you been misusing expense accounts? These are questions to ask yourself to ensure your integrity remains, because without it, your road to success will be a bumpy one.

Negativity

Are you the person in the office that constantly bats down ideas, talks about coworkers behind their backs and complains about the tasks you are assigned? If so, you’re contributing to a diminished office morale. Whether or not your colleagues recognize you immediately as a source, eventually it will become clear that the negative energy in the office is stemming from you. Not only will you lose the trust of your peers, you’ll lose the respect of your boss. When the time comes for a promotion, your negativity won’t get you ahead.

Not Being a Team Player

Networking with your colleagues, sharing ideas and working together on projects is an important way to grow, learn and get ahead. If you’re finding that you seclude yourself from group scenarios, avoid office social events or act too independently on your tasks, you’re sending some powerful signals to those around you. Those that aren’t team players tend to get less support when issues arise.

Here are some other bad habits to be on the lookout for:

  • Procrastination
  • Addiction to Facebook/social media
  • Inefficiency
  • Rudeness
  • Inattentiveness
  • Tardiness/Excessive Absence

If you find yourself guilty of more than just a few of these, you may want to consider what effect your behavior, whether unintentional or not, is having on your chances of success. You may think you’re getting away with your actions but it’s only a matter of time before they start holding you back.

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Do you want to motivate and lead your staff more effectively? My executive coaching services can help you hone your leadership skills and clearly define your goals and objectives.

Are You A Master Problem Solver? 6 Questions to Ask Yourself

No matter your job title or executive level, problem solving comes included. It might be the part of the job that no one ever trained you on and isn’t exactly written in your role description, but you need to be on your game for the sake of the company, the customers and your career.

I’ve compiled a list of six questions to ask yourself as a means to reflect on your past attempts at problem solving and to keep you on track in your future ones.

  1. Have you clearly identified the issue?

A problem can’t be solved if you haven’t been honest about the details, as difficult as it may be. Don’t sidestep the tricky parts; put it all right out there on the table.

  1. Do you consider all parties?

Different people in different roles in different departments have different stakes in the various operations of your company. Before you begin to solve any given problem, ensure you understand the interests of all parties involved.

  1. Have you brainstormed solutions alone or with external input?

Once you have all of your considerations in order, it’s time to start thinking more positively. Forget about the “problem” and start gearing your thinking towards the solution. Think in terms of possibility and include others’ trusted input if you think it might expand the chances of success.

  1. Did you evaluate the solutions?

This is an important step because brainstorming can be chaotic, so evaluation is when you begin narrowing down the most reasonable ideas. Remember your considerations from earlier and factor them in when necessary but this step is your chance to choose the best solution given your options.

  1. Have you taken timely action?

Talking about ideas is great, but next comes taking action. Are you careful about your implementation, watching for effects and consequences? Depending on the type of problem you’re solving, you may need to be sensitive to a few factors. Do so, but don’t let that slow you down or trip you up from successful implementation.

  1. Once you’ve taken action, do you grant yourself a vacation?

If you’ve walked away from your problem solving opportunity like a hero and are now sitting at your desk relaxed and proud, you might want to stiffen up again. It’s great that you’ve taken the proper steps to ensure success but you must follow up on the changes you’ve made, offer assistance where necessary and be ready to problem solve again in the event your solution creates smaller, transitional issues.

Problem solving is a key factor to any job, whether you like it, know it or not. So be on the lookout for these certain things and always remember to ask yourself the six questions when facing any opportunity for solution.

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Do you want to motivate and lead your staff more effectively? My executive coaching services can help you hone your leadership skills and clearly define your goals and objectives.

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Dan Marks -  Personal Training and Kettlebell Instruction

How to Create Win/Wins by Losing A Round

How to Create Win/Wins by Losing A Round

Win/Lose to Win/Win

Whether you’re at the executive level or strive to be someday, what I’m about to say might shock you. If you find yourself winning most workplace arguments, you might be setting yourself and your entire team back a bit.

We’ve all had a hand in starting or finishing an office argument, but what we may have missed in the heat of the moment was the importance of letting the “win” go in exchange for some new thoughts, perspectives and possibilities. Simply rejecting an idea because you think you know the answer isn’t forward progress.

Win/win arguments are where conflicting ideas are used with each other in a constructive manner as opposed to against each other in competition. These win/win arguments may be difficult to maintain, and certainly require a bit more time and focus than regular ol’ win/lose arguments, but their value far exceeds their burden.

Monkey See, Monkey Do
As a leader, it falls on you to create a positive, constructive argument environment. It’s important you head by example and show others that even with your authority and busy schedule, you can still take the time to be wrong and listen.
But to be a truly effective leader, you must not only engage in constructive arguments yourself but nurture a work environment where others are doing the same. This will pave the way for innovation and productive brainstorming all around the office.

Reward the Losing Side
Offering rewards to employees who exhibit a productive approach to workplace debate may sound a bit strange but let’s put some perspective on it. An employee who encourages constructive arguments and is willing to learn, even at the risk of being “wrong,” is a dynamic team player. This employee understands the importance of innovation and collaborative effort while respecting the ideas and opinions of others. So their reward doesn’t have to come in the form of an “employee of the month” acknowledgement, per se, but their respect for teamwork and knowledge are crucial factors to consider when you’re looking to promote within or select someone to spearhead a project.

Win/Lose to Win/Win
It’s easy to get caught up in a great debate in the workplace; with so many personalities, ideas and previous experience floating around in one space, there are sure to be steadfast opinions on any and all topics. But to turn the debate into an intelligent exchange where ideas can be shared and there’s no winner or loser is how companies and employees alike grow exponentially.

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Do you want to motivate and lead your staff more effectively? My executive coaching services can help you hone your leadership skills and clearly define your goals and objectives.

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