If you’re like most business leaders, you likely have way more meetings than you’d like (or actually need) to be in. At the same time, meetings are opportunities for us to come together, align our brains, connect our hearts and intentions, and play out our organizational purposes for working together.
Meetings are important. But according to Anese Cavanaugh, author of Contagious Culture, most people don’t love them. And the energy in meetings is quickly contagious — taking a meeting up or down in no time flat.
So what to do?
Perspective and optimization is key here.
Here are 5 ways to change your relationship with, and the energy of, meetings:
- Build in transition and reboot time: Schedule meetings for 25 or 50 (instead of 30 or 60) minutes or less to allow for space in between each meeting. Yes … Space.
- Do Presence Reboots: How are you feeling? How do you want to feel? What do you need? Breathe. Head on in.
- Set your intentions: Do this every morning before the day even starts, and then do it for each meeting as you go. Outcomes, impact, presence, all of it — what do you want? How do you want to show up? Intend.
- Cut your meetings: Do you truly need to be in all of the meetings on your calendar? Likely not. Cull them. Do it with your peers. Make sure it’s the best use of each of you when you’re in that room.
- Take amazing care of yourself: All. Day. Long. (We’re talking hydration, food, self-talk, your environment) so you have the energy and stamina to show up well and make each meeting count.
Run with it. Do any or all of these, share them with you team, and notice what happens. (You can meet about it.) Ready? Go.
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