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As a child growing up in Dublin in the 1970s, I knew nothing other than ‘meat and two veg’ for dinner. My mother was a capable but conventional cook, with little interest in anything different or exotic. We had meat and two veg every night. Pork on a Monday, sausages on a Tuesday, lamb chops on a Wednesday and so on. Always accompanied by potatoes and an overcooked veg like carrots, peas or cabbage. This is just how my dad liked it. I must admit that I knew no different and probably loved it too, especially my mum’s mashed potatoes, which have never been surpassed.
Although her food might have lacked imagination, it was well cooked and gave us a healthy, balanced diet. We were lucky enough to be able to afford meat every night, though never in excess. And the protein was always balanced by plenty of vegetables and carbs.
It occurred to me that in a work context, meetings are the protein of the business world. They are critical to getting things done in an organisation and form the backbone of how many teams operate. Meetings are not inherently bad but are consistently identified as one of the biggest productivity issues facing teams. We simply spend too much time in meetings. This will not be news to any of you, and probably a challenge you personally face, and the solution should be quite simple. Create a healthier, more balanced diet around your work. Some of your time should be devoted to meeting with others, some protected for focus work, and some reserved for tasks, emails and admin. Protein, carbs and fats!
A useful exercise is to write down your top priorities, not your tasks, but the outcomes you need to deliver to bIt sounds simple; but here is the real issue. No matter how we try to shift the balance in the way we work, the organisational culture we are working within makes it nearly impossible to achieve the balance we need. Most organisations have very meeting heavy cultures, and if meetings are a protein, it can feel like we are being force fed protein after protein all week long, if you get my drift. And an unbalanced diet leads to unhealthy outcomes.
For workers, managers and leaders to have a fighting chance to create balance in their schedules, we need to shift the culture, not just our behaviours. This can be challenging at the organisational level, especially in a large organisation, but much more achievable at the team level. I believe you can create micro-cultures, a bit like micro-climates, that are localised to how your team operates and manages meetings. Giving your team the skills to manage their schedules effectively, while also helping them be more purposeful in their use of meetings, can have a dramatic and lasting impact on your team’s effectiveness.
If this resonates for you and your team, let’s have a chat about how we could design a Smart Teams Masterclass for your next team offsite that could shift your meeting culture and create space and balance in everyone’s schedules.
Bon appétit!