"Your best ideas die in efficient meetings."

Your best ideas die in efficient meetings.

(Save post for later!)💡

"I used to run the most efficient meetings in the company."

Thorsten (𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥) was reflecting during a coaching session on how he completely changed his approach. All this after he realized, that having a team where everyone says yes, is not as great as he thought.

"30 minutes max. Clear agenda. Everyone nodded. We made decisions fast."

This was most of his meetings like.

But after his strategy disaster, Thorsten realized something: Fast agreement isn't smart agreement.

"My meetings were efficient because no one disagreed with me," he told me. "That's not efficiency. That's fear."

🚫 Here's what Thorsten's old meetings looked like:

↳ He presented the problem and his preferred solution.

↳ Asked "Any questions?" (getting silence).

↳ Said "Great, let's move forward".  Meeting done in 20 minutes.

✔️ The new meeting rules he created had some striking points:

↳ He presented the problem. Not his preferred solution.

↳ Asked the younger team members to share opinions before seniors.

↳ Then everyone could speak up.

"It  was weird at first," Thorsten laughed. "But for the second time it felt less weird. We got really fresh ideas coming in."

What changed? Those "uncomfortable" conversations now save more money than hsi efficient ones ever made.

The team is debating new strategies, agree on pockets to save costs and to grow. With more commitment from everyone than ever before.

A couple of weeks later he told me during a coaching session: "Now my meetings take longer," Thorsten reflected. "But my strategies actually work."

What's stopping your team from speaking up in meetings?

👇 If this sounds way too familiar to you, take the free speak-up quiz below and get your assessment. 👇

#change #coaching #executivecoaching