In this episode we discuss four rules for how teams should function in their meetings.
Rule number one is you have to tell the truth… if it’s a bad idea, we want to hear about it… I need people in meetings who will tell the truth…
I would rather hear that something is a bad idea on Tuesday rather than on Sunday after my sermon… if you are thinking it in a meeting, don’t walk out carrying it with you…
If we can’t tell the truth in meetings, over time it will weaken the organization…
Rule number two is that you need to share the best ideas… I want creativity in the meetings… if people aren’t sitting in the meetings exploring and pushing the envelope, they don’t need to be in the meeting…
I want there to be a tension in the room that we challenge the status quo… I do not want people sitting there holding onto all their best ideas…
There needs to be robust debate in meetings for them to really work… I want my team members thinking outside their boxes, looking at everything with a fresh set of eyes… the best meetings are when there is really good debate… the best idea always wins…
Rule number three is that you can’t be in the meeting if you are afraid of being decisive… we have to make a decision…
I like to be around people who don’t get bogged down by data… at some point we need to make a decision…
A good leader with good instincts recognizes that if there is division in the room, we can’t move forward… we need to come to unity…
Rule number four is that if we make the decision, the people in the room all need to own it in public… but this is impossible if people haven’t been given an opportunity to weigh in…
The cardinal sin of team is to walk out of the meeting and say, “Well, you know I had a different perspective on this”… you can’t go out of the meetings nodding yes with your head but no with your heart…