Artifact 1

L. Walter
EA 754

The Advantage (P. Lencioni, 2012)-The Centrality of Great Meetings

Essential Learning:

Lencioni takes fifteen pages to detail what he describes as no better way to
have a fundamental impact on an organization than by changing the way it does
meetings (2012, p.173). He believes that most people think of meetings as the
dreaded m word. This is predominantly because most leaders throw together a
mix of unrelated topics, from administrative issues to strategic analysis, creating an
exhausting staff meeting that he fondly refers to as an unsavory meeting stew.

He describes in great detail the four categories of meetings that healthy
organizations should have:

1. Administrative (daily check-in meeting; 5-10 minutes). The purpose is to get
the team accustomed to talking on a regular basis and to provide a forum for
addressing minor issues quickly so they can be more focused on the right
topics during the other three meetings they need to have.

2. Tactical (weekly/monthly staff meeting; 45-90 minutes). The key point here
is to not pre-set the agenda. Lencioni says, you dont know what you need
to discuss until youve come together and assed the situation (p. 179). He
suggests using a color coded scorecard to asses and then set the agenda. This
process essentially eliminates the problem of sitting through a presentation
or discussion of something that everyone knows is of little importance to the
organization.

3. Strategic (adhoc topical meeting; 2-4 hours). The purpose of this kind of
meeting is to dig into the critical issues that can have a long-term impact on
an organization or that require significant time and energy to resolve.

4. Developmental (quarterly off-site review meeting; 1-2 days). The focus here
is about stepping back from the business to get a fresh perspective. The
leadership team needs to step back and revisit the four disciplines: team,
clarity, communication, and human systems. With fresh eyes the team can
then move in a direction that will positively impact the organization.

Highlights:

No action, activity, or process is more central to a healthy organization than
the meeting. (p.173)

Bad meetings are the birthplace of unhealthy organizations, and good
meetings are the origin of cohesion, clarity and communication.
(pp. 173-174)
By doing the daily meeting, leaders find that theyre building stronger
relationships with their peers much more quickly than they thought was
possible. (p. 178)

If they (meetings) are not effective, there is little or no chance of building a
cohesive team or a healthy organization. (p. 178)

The high point of being a leader in an organization is wrestling with difficult
decisions and situations. Truncating those high points just doesnt make
sense. (p. 183)


Applications/Implications:

If changing the way leadership does meetings is central to an organizations
health, there shouldnt be an organization alive that is not clamoring for the
adoption of the meeting model outlined in this chapter. In fact, I believe, if HR
departments knew that changing an organizations health was as easy as changing
the way leaders run meetings, leaders would be participating in professional
development around that very topic. It has been my personal experience (28 years
worth) that most leaders dont know how to effectively hold a meeting. I have been
in attendance for many meeting stews and the experience is exhausting. Staff
members leave the meeting with no vision, direction, or clarity. Changing that
practice would be a time consuming, maybe even daunting, undertaking. If Lencioni
is correct, it would be worth the effort.
As I pondered how the division of leadership teams would be structured, I
envisioned the Administration (possibly including department heads) meeting daily;
the staff meeting tactically; the Administrative Leadership Team, which includes
department heads, meeting strategically; and the Building Administration meeting
with Central Office personnel developmentally.
The time commitment could be an issue for schools. Lencioni suggests that is
would require approximately twelve hours of meetings per month. In a business,
these meetings would take place during the workday. In a school, these meetings
are required beyond the workday. Our district is currently requiring four hours of
meetings per month beyond the workday and the backlash is severe. It would be
hard to imagine requiring twelve hours. Still, if this meeting model works, it would
be worth the investment to find a way to incorporate the time into the daily
schedule. More importantly, if the meetings were effective and followed the
prescribed divisions it is possible that the work could be accomplished in a more
concise timeline. The benefits of organizational health, school culture, and school
climate would be worth it.