Tag Archives: margaret smith leadership
February 8, 2023 5 Ways to Avoid Meeting Drift
Picture yourself leading (another) Zoom meeting. You’re meeting with your usual team, and you have a rough agenda, but soon things get derailed. Someone mentions that their kids have been sick, and soon everyone’s sharing stories of family illness. This topics leads to a conversation about company policies and sick leave, which then leads to a chat about upcoming vacations. By the time you get back on track, you’ve lost your main point and everyone seems unfocused and unexcited to talk about work-related topics. You’ve lost any initial momentum your meeting had.
If this scenario sounds all too familiar, you’re not alone. “Meeting drift” is a common issue during meetings—virtual or otherwise—and can be extremely frustrating and counterproductive.
To help combat meeting drift, try following these five tips:
Stick to the Agenda.
Ensure that your agenda is concise and that everyone is familiar with it before the meeting starts. Before every meeting, take a few minutes to review the agenda with your team. Make sure everyone understands the topics up for discussion and the intended outcomes of the meeting. During the meeting, gently remind your team of the agenda and try to stay on-topic by summarizing each point before moving on
Start with a Brief Check-In
If your team is distracted by personal issues, their focus is more likely to drift during meetings. Kick off your meeting with a simple check-in question such as, “Julia, what did you do for fun this past weekend?” Or, “Will anyone be out of the office this week?” Make sure to limit the check-in time to 2-3 minutes, otherwise this can lead to an entirely new conversation.
Rotate Meeting Leads
Enlist help to keep the meeting on track by rotating the leadership role. This can help ensure everyone is engaged and can keep the conversation moving. When someone else is leading the meeting, you’ll be better able to recognize when the conversation is straying off-topic
Be Mindful of the Time
It’s easy to forget how long you’ve been talking when everyone is sharing their favorite vacation spot, and you find yourself reminiscing about your last beach trip. Set an alarm for yourself (or a timer for everyone) to keep your meeting on track and on time.
Encourage Participants to Take Notes
Writing notes by hand has a number of benefits, including better retention of the material being discussed and improved focus. Encourage your team to take notes every time you meet. As an added incentive, you might even gift each team member a quality notebook and pen at the beginning of the year (or quarter).
The key to avoiding meeting drift is to stay on top of it and be mindful of your team’s focus. By sticking to an agenda, providing brief check-ins, rotating meeting leads, staying conscious of the time, and encouraging participants to take notes, you’ll be able to ensure that meetings stay productive and meaningful.
MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE.
HER NEW EBOOK IS CALLED A QUICK GUIDE TO COURAGE.
Tags: avoid meeting drift, margaret smith career coach, margaret smith leadership, prevent drift during workplace meetings, prevent drift during Zoom meetings, stay focused during Zoom meetings
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- Posted under Communication, Leadership, Teamwork
January 11, 2023 Leaders: 4 Ways to Identify Your Team’s Strengths
One of the wonderful things about humanity is that we’re all so different, and we embody many different traits. Our distinct personalities can lead to powerful innovations, creative solutions, and out-of-the-box thinking. But it can also lead to conflicts, clashing, and misunderstandings. Have you ever tried to assign a highly collaborative leadership task to an extreme introvert? Or asked a “numbers person” to lead a creative brainstorming session.
It can be beneficial, of course, to stretch our abilities and challenge ourselves to reach outside our comfort zones. However, everyone has their limits. A social person who thrives on interpersonal interactions and teamwork can only take solo data entry work for so long. Soon, they’ll be miserable and, possibly, looking for an exit.
As a leader, it’s smart to identify your team members’ strengths and capitalize on them. Develop an understanding of their strengths by doing the following:
1. Ask them directly what they excel at, what they enjoy doing, and what their goals are. You might be surprised by how quickly people open up when talking about these topics.
2. Turn to a trustworthy assessment test for guidance. As an LP of Insights Discovery, I’m a big proponent of the Insights program. Rooted in social science, Insights Discovery identifies four key personality types (Cool Blue, Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, Earth Green) and outlines their inherent strengths and weaknesses. This can be used as a starting point to understand each individual’s potential. For more information, see my past blog post on Insights.
3. Observe each person on the job. What tasks do they excel at? How do they respond to different situations? Do they seem energized or drained after certain tasks? Taking note of these cues can help you better understand how to delegate tasks for maximum efficiency.
4. Listen to your team members’ feedback. They may have ideas on how they can best contribute to the team’s goals. They may be frustrated with processes or tasks they feel they are over- or under-qualified for. Address these issues and strive to create an environment in which everyone can utilize their strengths.
Once you’ve determined each team member’s strengths, you can start assigning tasks and roles that challenge and inspire. Letting team members play to their strengths can lead to greater satisfaction, higher morale, and better team performance. As a leader, it’s vitally important to recognize everyone’s unique gifts, and use them to drive the team forward and foster a more motivated, happier team.
MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE.
HER NEW EBOOK IS CALLED A QUICK GUIDE TO COURAGE.
Tags: better teamwork, identify team member strengths, leaders identify team strengths, margaret smith leadership, Margaret Smith licensed Insights practitioner, play to teams strengths, team strengths with Insights Discovery
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- Posted under Communication, Insights Discovery, Leadership
November 23, 2022 5 Simple Ways to Be an Inclusive Leader
Studies show the best teams are diverse teams—diverse in backgrounds, identity, thought, and more. But sometimes that diversity is squandered. If the majority always rules (or a few voices tend to dominate the conversation), those in the minority may become discouraged and withhold their thoughts and perspectives.
This happens more than you might realize. Women tend to be quieter in a room full of men, and women of color enjoy far less support than their white counterparts. And when it comes to diversity of thoughts and behaviors, introverted folks (those who lead with blue or green energy, if we’re considering this from an Insights Discovery angle) may not take the floor as often as extroverts.
This is unfortunate because innovators and creatives come from all backgrounds and have a wide range of personalities and behaviors. Some of the most brilliant minds in tech, for example, are former misfits (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs). Some of the most successful people in history were introverts (Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein).
As a leader, it’s up to you to include everyone on your team and to equally nurture talent. This is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. How might your team improve if everyone felt valued and engaged? What progress could you make if “all hands were on deck,” instead of just a few?
Let’s talk about a few ways that you can practice inclusive, effective leadership.
1. Actively seek feedback
As a leader, it’s a good idea to continuously gather data from and about your team. This includes feedback. Ideally, providing feedback should be as painless as possible for your team. Give them several different avenues to choose, including one-on-one meetings, anonymous surveys, or a chance to speak out during meetings. Demonstrate that you care about what your people have to say by practicing good listening skills and seriously considering making the changes they suggest.
2. Engage in conversations
If you do not regularly meet one-on-one with your people, I highly encourage you to start. A lot of thoughts, ideas, and frustrations could bubble to the surface once you’re in a private room (or virtual space). Remember: this is a two-way street. Be open and friendly, share some information about yourself, and dare to be a little vulnerable. Set the tone for a candid back-and-forth conversation.
NOTE: Make sure you keep any private information you learn to yourself. Nothing erodes trust faster than gossip.
3. Aim for understanding
It’s smart to keep in mind that not everyone shares the same views, background, and thought patterns as you (and that’s a good thing!). When you’re getting to know your team members, do your best to practice empathy and aim for understanding. If someone doesn’t feel comfortable sharing their ideas in a large-group setting, take note and see how you can accommodate them. If another person appreciates time to think over a problem before offering solutions, respect that tendency and encourage the team to not jump into a decision right away.
One way to unearth your team members’ tendencies, perspectives, and ways of thinking is to utilize a science-based assessment test. I have witnessed teams have incredible breakthroughs by using Insights® Discovery (I’m a Licensed Practitioner), but many other excellent assessments exist, such as StrengthsFinder or Enneagrams.
4. Pay attention
This should go without saying, but it’s worth emphasizing: pay attention! Notice when team members are not speaking up, or if they seem uncomfortable. Take note when one or two voices dominate the conversation. Once you see behavior patterns emerge, you can begin to take action.
5. Promote (or initiate) affiliate or networking groups
Sometimes, your team members need support that is more specialized in nature. If someone is part of a minority or underrepresented group (Women, BIPOC people, LGBTQ+ folks, neurodivergent people), they may benefit from meeting with others who share a similar background. There is power and comfort in sitting in the same room as people who are similar (at least in some ways) to you. These affiliate or networking groups can advocate for changes, swap stories, or simply provide a listening ear. If your workplace does not currently have affiliate groups, consider initiating one or two.
There are many ways you, as a leader, can practice inclusivity. It’s time to uplift those at the margins, listen to their ideas, and demonstrate that they are just as valuable as anyone else.
MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE.
HER NEW EBOOK IS CALLED A QUICK GUIDE TO COURAGE
Tags: become an inclusive leader, inclusive leadership at work, margaret smith leadership, Margaret Smith Minneapolis career coach, practice inclusivity as leader, ways to be an inclusive leader
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- Posted under Better Business, Communication, Leadership
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