Team Building Resources

Making every meeting count is extremely important dimension of high functioning teams.  Steve Roesler has written an excellent post called “Better Meetings Better Leadership“.  I’d like to build on his key points, which were:  Decide in advance the type of meeting you need which will determine the tone and  level of participation from the team.  Here are the key elements:

1. Tell Mode – when you need to communicate information but it is not up for debate
2. Sell Mode – you need to communicate information but need buy in from the team
3. Test Mode – you are open to changing the details of what you are communicating only if really necessary based on the team reaction
4. Consult Mode – you are putting elements of the communication out for debate
5. Join Mode – the team is tackling a problem/opportunity together and the key function of the meeting is to brainstorm.

As the leader of the team keeping these modes in mind in advance of the meeting and planning the agenda accordingly will definitely make for more productive meetings.  I would also like to identify a few more dimensions to keep in mind.  Each personality type on the team will be more responsive and more comfortable with different meeting modes, so not only plan the mode of your meeting as a second step gauge your team for their receptiveness to each mode.

1. The team member who always loves a good agenda, show up early and takes copious notes:
   • This team member will be quite comfortable in the Tell mode and the Sell mode as long as you include facts and figures to support your conclusions.  They will become more uncomfortable in the Test, Consult and Join mode if you ask them to brainstorm on the spot.  Best for these individuals to give them information ahead of time so they can best prepare for the meeting and be a valuable contributing member.
2. The team member who never really follows an agenda, likes things fast and punchy:
   • This team member will be very comfortable in the Join, Consult and Test mode, happy to share thoughts and possible solutions on the fly.  They will likely be your toughest audience when in Tell or Sell mode.  Make sure for these individuals you clearly define the impact the communication/policy being discussed will have and don’t open the door to lots of debate if there is no room, once you open the door a little they will take you down a path that will leave the door swinging open at the end.
3. The team member who wants to ensure everyone has a voice and the group is in harmony:
   • This team member will be comfortable in all modes as long as its clearly spelled out what mode the meeting is in,  authenticity is key to this team member so as long as the agenda is clear and not a hidden one - presenting it like you are in join mode when really you are in tell mode you will get the most out of these individuals.
4. The team member who always asks “why”:
   • This team member will be comfortable in the Tell and Sell mode when you connect the communication/policy to the bigger picture.   They will respect authority when delivered with clarity.  As with the first team member described, they will be less comfortable in the Join, Test and Consult mode if not given advance notice of the items being discussed.  If you have a group made up of these individuals and communicating information in advance is not an option, perhaps splitting the meeting into two parts, the first being the communication and the second being the collaborative element.

As the leader of a team, having meetings only when necessary is your first key to success, secondly be very clear which mode the meeting is in and thirdly gauge your audience and tailor the agenda to get the most out of your team members based on their personality types.

Lynn

Team Enthusiast