There’s one thing that usually comes up in my leadership team coaching business that drives me bonkerballs.
Here’s what happens.
A leadership team gets together for a meeting. They have a great discussion. Everybody contributes. They talk about important things. They even have a healthy debate.
And in the end, they come to an agreement.
Everybody walks out feeling good, because they feel like it was a productive meeting.
It sounds like a productive meeting, doesn’t it?
Well, it’s not.
Because three weeks later, not a damn thing has changed.
And here’s the crazy part of this. This is the part that drives me bonkerballs.
When I bring this up, very few of my clients seem to even recognize it happens.
The leader thinks someone on the team is supposed to be handling the thing. The team members think one of the other team members is handling it.
And everybody kind of remembers making a decision. Except nobody remembers agreeing to actually do anything themselves.
A Whole Lotta Talking
This happens in companies of all sizes and shapes. I see it everywhere, from startup to Fortune 500s.
A group of really smart, capable people spend an hour debating an important issue. They eventually agree on what needs to happen.
And then the meeting ends.
That’s it.
No specific next steps. No clear ownership. No deadlines.
Just a bunch of people who feel really good about what they accomplished.
Except they didn’t accomplish anything.
They talked about accomplishing something.
But that’s not the same thing.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge believer in having great discussions. I make a living helping leadership teams have better ones.
That’s what I do.
But the discussion isn’t the outcome. It’s the means to get there.
The outcome is what happens because of the discussion.
And if nothing happens, what the hell is the point of the discussion?
The Most Dangerous Word In A Meeting
I think one of the most dangerous words in a leadership meeting is…
