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Turning Your Meetings "Not another meeting! Every time our group meets we rehash the same issues over and over and accomplish nothing."
 Sound familiar? There is a better way - a "total meeting." All meetings begin and end from the inside out. Our behavior in meetings comes partly from what we learned in our original organization, the family, and the patterns everyone brings into the group. As the leader, you can keep those patterns to a minimum by creating a safe and supportive environment. When you look around the meeting room, you can often see remnants of the past -- class clown, teacher's pet, know-it-all and daydreamer. So what can you do? Recognize that a great deal of preparation and practice goes into a productive meeting, and that, as a leader, you play an important role in creating a safe space for honest and creative input. Here are four tips to help you have a total meeting: | Tip #1: | Envision success and maintain an attitude of respect and vulnerability. | | Tip #2: | Explore your behavior and manage your own knee-jerk reactions. Check out any assumptions and create the right social environment that encourages productivity. Invite the team to establish the ground rules (agendas, expectations, time, cell phone use, one person speaking at a time, etc.) and stick by them. | | Tip #3: | Integrate what people say in their “between-the-lines” communications-- the way people acknowledge each other or don’t, the body language they express, the tone of their voices, etc. Remember, operating with integrity means that all comments go directly to the source. Gossip constricts the health of group interactions and seriously affects the level of trust. | | Tip #4: | Realize the action steps that must be taken for success and be sure they are witnessed by the group. Require “you can count on me for that” to be witnessed by the group. |
Share Your Tips for Successful Meetings Send us your tips for creating successful meetings and we’ll share them with our readers. Send them to the editor at info@ceoptions.com. |
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 | Seeing Clearly Denial, one of the most difficult patterns to face, is often filled with fear and confusion. It takes years to build up the layers of protection that reflect a false world of only sunshine and roses. Crises are usually the bedrock of denial and it often takes a new crisis to strip away the layers of scar tissue that moves someone from denial into real clarity. What follows is the story of Dan, the leader of a sales team, who wanted to move his group to a next level of success. According to his team, however, there were a number of concerns that were getting in the way. Read more... |
| “Patterns In Play” is a new column devoted to bringing you a case study of a specific pattern in play at work. We invite you to visit our Chat Room at www.ceoptions.com to share your comments and your own personal challenges. Patterns are “repetitive reactions that can keep us stuck in the world of ‘always’ and ‘never’ and influenced by family, culture and crisis. Leaders who can learn to read and redesign patterns can help create a work environment that limits the game called office politics. |
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Leaders Call "Time Out" For
Office Politics  If you create a healthy work environment you can limit the game called office politics! That was the key message delivered by Dr. Sylvia Lafair, President of CEO, during a leadership breakfast in early April in downtown Minneapolis. Sylvia was joined by Dianne Moore, senior member of CEO's Faculty and approximately 100 other leaders from around the metropolitan area. This special event, hosted by Lurie Besikof Lapidus Leadership Group and the University of St. Thomas Center for Business Excellence, brought rave reviews by many in attendance. "I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation," said John M. Beam, a member of the audience, "…together with your pleasant and effective delivery, it made for a worthwhile morning."
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 Congratulations Dianne! Dianne Moore is a senior member of CEO's consulting faculty. She is highly regarded for her warm and pleasant personality, her great sense of humor, her high energy level and…she plays a mean tambourine! Dianne has a Master of Science degree and serves as a member of the faculty at The University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business. She has held senior management positions with 3M and Imation has a demonstrated track record of success in helping organizations become more effective. She recently completed a reference book and training package entitled Excelerated Leadership-A Business Leadership Program. |
 | Managing Up:
The Tale of the "Bossy Boss" Q: | I've been working at a company for the past six years and loving every minute of it. Recently, however, I've gotten a new boss. He's a real bully. He is always criticizing me and he never listens -he even finishes my sentences. While his comments cannot be called sexist, they're often on the edge filled with sarcasm and putdowns. I already spoke with him about how he makes me feel and he simply said "you're too sensitive" and to "just get on with your work." I've always been a very successful and productive employee and now I find myself avoiding him, feeling angry and just wanting to run away. It's really interfering with my ability to get my work done. Can you give me a few tips on how to communicate effectively with my new "bossy boss?" | A: | I want to acknowledge you for having the courage to talk with your bossy boss. Most people are so intimidated that they will avoid confrontation at all cost. Remember, everyone is a manager in one way or another and you can help your boss as much as he can help you. There is one piece that may be helpful for a next level dialogue that will offer him an opportunity to observe his own behavior. While it is not your responsibility to make his life work for him, you can be a catalyst for change in this situation. This is really only done by asking questions rather than by simply telling him how you feel. Read more... |
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|  Sylvia Lafair, Ph.D. is the President and Co-Founder of Creative Energy Options, Inc. Her long-standing success has come from helping individuals, teams and organizations uncover the habits and patterns that have been the underlying drivers of behavior. She is currently writing a book about patterns in the workplace. If you would like Sylvia to answer your question, e-mail it to info@ceoptions.com |
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PEPtalk is a free monthly eNews from Creative Energy Options, Inc. (CEO)—a global consulting, coaching and leadership development company on the cutting-edge of business transformation. We hope it provides the solutions you need to apply the Pattern Aware Leadership (PAL) System to your daily work and home life. It is published every month and filled with leadership news and views, success stories, special events and valuable tips to energize your leadership.
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