Page 10 - Leadership Basics 10

Poor Meetings

If you talk to teachers about poor meetings, the same complaints can be heard time and time again.
These are some of the common reasons given for meetings failing to achieve very much.

1. There Is No Clear Reason for Bringing People Together
Have you ever been to a meeting where there is nothing to discuss of any significance but the
meeting takes place anyway because it is on the regular schedule? This may be seen as somewhat
akin to a New Zealand verses England rugby match — we know what the outcome will be, but play
the game anyway. Your answer to the question in the first sentence may well be: 'Yes, every week!'
You may even be the person who organises these 'events'. Sometimes we hold meetings because
people get used to the idea and they seem to enjoy them. Many become accustomed to the idea of
attending meetings because they are probably an escape from real work. Even those temporary
havens from reality wear thin, though. If you insist on getting your people together for reasons of
esprit de corps, bear in mind there are far more interesting ways of conducting social gatherings
than sitting round a table in the school's meeting room.

2. They make Even the Simplest Things Complicated
It is amazing how often meetings manage to make life more complex than it really is. The reason is
simple. Meetings were never designed for dealing with trivial affairs which could easily be handled
by one person.

3. They Invariably Last Far Too Long
How often have you attended a meeting which has finished early? If the answer is 'frequently' then
it may be that the convenor is well organised or perhaps there was nothing to discuss and the
meeting should never have been held anyway. But where productive issues are raised, meetings are
generally managed in such a way that trivial matters get more time than they deserve and the really
important things are cut short.

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