There are only 24 hours in a day for each of us. Those who use them wisely, get where they want to go. Those who don’t, are left to dream. If you carve out enough time for the right things and then focus on getting them done, you too can achieve your goals. Follow these 10 steps to significant results and less stress:
Plans fail. Based on assumptions, oversights, and an unpredictable future, how can they not? So why do we so often fail to plan accordingly? Why, instead, do we “plan harder,” trying to extract more certainty from the uncertain? The most important and most neglected aspect of planning involves identifying potential problems so you can: Prevent them, and Be prepared for those you fail to prevent For example, you try to prevent fires by ensuring wiring is in good condition, performing safety inspections, managing combustible materials appropriately, etc. But you also prepare for the possibility of fire with contingent actions: smoke detectors, fire extinguisher, and support for the local fire department. These contingent actions won’t prevent a fire, but you would be foolish not to have them ready should a fire occur.
When establishing a plan for a meeting, keep in mind that sometimes you want divergent thinking to expand possibilities, and other times you want convergent thinking to zero in and move forward quickly. The chart below shows these contrasting situations. Destination and/or path ill-defined Destination and path well-defined and familiar Need divergent thinking to expand possibilities Need convergent thinking and methodical progress Generally strategic, requiring brainstorming, creativity, innovation Generally tactical, requiring planning, tracking, juggling resources Plan to tackle few topics and allow enough time for each; consider brainstorming and open-ended questions to explore multiple perspectives; use frequent process checks to ensure progress Can process many topics relatively quickly in a logical sequence Provide loose guidelines that encourage participation and creativity Provide tight guidelines that encourage focus and discipline Rough time ranges Tight time ranges Ensure appropriate attendees are present Ensure appropriate attendees are prepared and understand why they are there A mixed bag of topics, some requiring divergent thinking and some requiring convergent thinking, within a single meeting is generally more difficult to manage because the mindset, skill set, and focus are so completely different. It is best to hold separate meetings but the most important part is to think this through and have a plan.
If you are serious about improving your meetings, here are three ideas that you can try alone or in combination today: Establish Clear Objectives In planning your next meeting, use a 3×5 note card. You need to be able to write the objectives on one side of the card using 3 – 5 bullets. Use verb-noun pairs to ensure the focus is on results. Involve Everyone in the Effort A meeting involves a group of people, right? Well, successful meetings are a group effort. Here is a method to get your team more involved in that effort.
I am sure there are more good reasons to call a meeting than poor reasons. However, I think I have been to more meetings that happened for poor reasons. These include: We always meet on the 4th Tuesday of the month or first thing Monday mornings (meeting because it is time) We haven’t had a meeting in a long time (meeting because it is time) The boss formed this team so I guess we better have a meeting (meeting because we were told to) We need to tell people what is going on (meeting as a substitute for written communication) We need a meeting to figure out what we should do at our meeting (meeting as an alternative to doing the homework of planning and/or analysis) We need a meeting so people will feel they were heard and believe they had a say (meeting as manipulation) We need to meet or this just won’t get done (meeting as an alternative to self-discipline and accountability) Note: This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t meet if the above are true, it just means these are not reasons in themselves for having a meeting.
Wondering when it makes sense to call a meeting? Here are some excellent reasons: You need to leverage multiple perspectives and varied expertise in order to understand a situation or sequence of events, identify alternatives, make a decision, uncover risks, assess consequences, etc. You need to quickly compare plans before everyone runs off in opposite directions as a means of clarifying priorities, communicating last minute changes, and minimizing resource conflicts You want everyone to have the opportunity to hear the same message, particularly when part of that message will be delivered through hard-to-predict Q&A It is important for everyone to hear the message at exactly the same time
Are you “doing it for ISO”? Do you spruce up your documents, records, processes and memories just before the quality auditor visits? Do you have documents that are rarely used in the interim? Do employees complain about wasted effort or grin and bear it when the quality management topic is raised? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, your quality management system is wasting your time, energy and money. Whether you are certified to ISO 9001, AS 9100 or any of several similar quality standards, you don’t want to be “doing it for ISO”.
If you are looking for permission to cancel a meeting, consider it granted! If you aren’t looking for permission to cancel a meeting, let’s hope it means: The purpose is clear A plan for achieving the purpose exists The attendees will focus on the purpose and stick to the plan You will fight to retain the good meetings. Why? Because good meetings are essential! And, good meetings are a joy to attend! Afraid to cancel? Or worried that cancelling one will lead to cancelling them all because none of your meetings really have a purpose, a plan, and attendees who can focus on the purpose and follow the plan?
You’ve tried to be rigorous. You’re clear about your objectives. You’ve examined the alternatives. You’ve considered potential risks. And yet, you can’t seem to make a final decision. Around and around you go. You know you need to make a decision. But you set the matter aside once again. It nags at you. And you feel stupid because it shouldn’t be this hard.
Readers tell me they are so caught up in daily details that they don’t have time to step back and figure out where they are. They feel scattered, overwhelmed, and tired of running in high gear. Here is a quick method for reconsidering WHAT goes on your To-Do list, followed by 3 tips for getting things OFF the list. TO QUICKLY REGROUP: Make a list of everything that is BOTHERING you. Big things and little things. Don’t think much, just write quickly. Spend a little time with this mix of worries, plans, problems, and objectives. What is this list really telling you? Do you see things that are getting in the way of doing what you think you are supposed to be doing? Do you see things that are closely related, or problems that are the root cause of other problems? Do you see things that really aren’t your concern? Do you see things that worry you but that you either can’t fix or don’t really need to fix? With a little practice, the insights from this mix of items will help you quickly rethink the content of your To-Do list.