{"id":11981,"date":"2019-01-06T20:22:17","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T01:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=11981"},"modified":"2019-01-06T20:22:17","modified_gmt":"2019-01-07T01:22:17","slug":"book-review-no-fail-meetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=11981","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: No Fail Meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have been a HUGE fan of Michael Hyatt<\/a> for several years.\u00a0 I ran across his twitter feed and then his blog.\u00a0 He is committed to being an intentional leader and to making the most out of the talents and abilities that the Lord has blessed him with as an individual as well as leading his family and his business.\u00a0 He has a keen mind for organization and has really put a lot of thought into the details of leading and serving others.<\/p>\n

A friend who posted that they had received Hyatt’s No Fail Meetings<\/em><\/a> for Christmas and I knew that I had to get a copy for myself.\u00a0 This book is a super quick read (read it on a plane in one sitting from NYC > ATL) and it’s packed full of great tips for hosting meetings that are intentionally designed to be beneficial for all involved…and explains how to cancel the rest!\u00a0 This is a great read for anyone who is in the position of leading and serving anyone…even just themself!<\/p>\n

I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below…<\/p>\n

5 Steps to No-Fail Meetings<\/strong>-The path to transforming your company\u2019s meeting culture starts with five simple steps that make up the heart of the No Fail Meetings System:<\/div>\n
    \n
  1. \n
    DECIDE<\/strong> if the meeting is even necessary and, if so, what type and format it should be.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n
    SCHEDULE<\/strong> the right people at the right time for the right length in the right location.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n
    PREPARE<\/strong> a results-driven agenda.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  4. \n
    MEET AND ENGAGE<\/strong> in a powerful, productive conversation that moves the needle for your business and projects.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  5. \n
    FOLLOW UP<\/strong> by reviewing your meeting notes, completing your assigned tasks, and holding others accountable for theirs. Location 89<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    <\/div>\n
    If you don\u2019t put boundaries in place, you\u2019ll allow other people to dictate your entire schedule. \u00a0And you\u2019re not helping anyone by stretching yourself too thin. \u00a0If your default invitation response is yes, it\u2019s Tim etc flip the switch. \u00a0Challenge yourself to say no to everything unless there\u2019s a compelling reason to say yes. \u00a0That may mean having to retrain your team to send better, more informative meeting requests. \u00a0Location 172<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    Print out a blank weekly calendar. \u00a0You want to start with zero appointments or commitments. \u00a0You\u2019re going to organize your Ideal Week by three categories of tasks or activity: Front Stage, Back State, and Off Stage.<\/div>\n
      \n
    • \n
      Front Stage<\/strong>: These tasks represent your most important work. \u00a0These are the things you were hired to do.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Back Stage<\/strong>: These are the tasks that enable you to do your Front Stage work.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Off Stage<\/strong>: This is the time when we\u2019re not at work, not doing work, not thinking about work, not even reading about work. \u00a0Location 276<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      <\/div>\n
      We\u2019ve implemented a version of the Ideal Week for our whole company. \u00a0How? \u00a0We schedule times when our entire team does not have any meetings. \u00a0That is, we block off time each week (Thursdays) when no one is allowed to schedule any meeting with anyone. \u00a0That may seem counterintuitive, but it ensures everyone gets uninterrupted blocks of time for their most important tasks. \u00a0We know that we show up as our best selves for meeting when we haven\u2019t already spent all our working hours in meetings. \u00a0Because we\u2019re aligned on an overarching schedule, it\u2019s easier to preserve time for what Georgetown computer science professor Cal Newport calls \u201cdeep work\u201d on Front Stage days. Location 287<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      Shaking things up by breaking the traditional corporate mold will unlock a surprising amount of creativity, productivity, and inspiration in your meeting\u2014and all these things will make not only the conversation but also the quality of the work ten times better. Location 334<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      Natural light is important. \u00a0Most people forget to consider appropriate lighting when setting up an office space or selecting a space to meet, but nobody wants to work\u2014or have a creative \u00a0discussion\u2014in a windowless cave. \u00a0In fact, a global survey of employees found that 75 percent of workers value natural light, but only 56 are satisfied with their lighting conditions at work, according to Bob Ford in Workplace Design<\/i>. \u00a0Consider these words from Christopher Bergland in Psychology Today:<\/i>\u00a0“There is a strong relationship between workplace daylight exposure and office workers\u2019 sleep, activity, and quality of life\u2026Compared to workers in offices without windows, those with windows in the workplace received 173 percent more\u00a0white\u00a0light exposure during work hours and slept an average of 46 minutes more per night. \u00a0Workers without windows reported lower scores than their counterparts on quality of life measures related to physical problems and vitality. \u00a0They also had\u00a0poorer outcomes in measures of overall sleep\u00a0quality, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction.\u201d Location 456<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      We aren\u2019t born knowing how to lead a meeting; it\u2019s not a genetic trait we get from our parents. \u00a0It\u2019s a skill we must learn. \u00a0After learning hundreds of good meetings (and suffering through thousands of bad ones), I believe a good conversation comes down to four things:<\/div>\n
        \n
      1. \n
        Staying on topic<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
      2. \n
        Guarding against distractions<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
      3. \n
        Asking good questions<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
      4. \n
        Facilitating transformative conflict Location 540<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        <\/div>\n
        If you\u2019re responsible for leading a good meeting, you\u2019ve got to be on guard for these ten behaviors\u2014not only in others, but also yourself,<\/div>\n
          \n
        1. \n
          Arriving late<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        2. \n
          Taking phone calls<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        3. \n
          Checking email<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        4. \n
          Engaging in side conversations<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        5. \n
          Not taking notes<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        6. \n
          Talking too much<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        7. \n
          Interrupting others<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        8. \n
          Not coming prepared<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        9. \n
          Chasing rabbits<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        10. \n
          Not speaking up Location 634<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          <\/div>\n
          In the book Crucial Conversations<\/i>, authors Kerry Patterson, Joseph Granny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler say this (End with Action) should be the very last step that happens in any meeting. \u00a0They conclude: \u201cYou\u2019ve engaged in healthy dialogue, filled the pool of meaning, decided how you\u2019re going to draw from the pool, and eventually come to some decisions. \u00a0It\u2019s time to do something. \u00a0Some of the items may have been completely resolved during the discussion, but you may require a person or team to do something. \u00a0You\u2019ll have to make some assignments\u2026Determine who<\/i> does what<\/i> by when<\/i>. \u00a0Make the deliverables crystal clear.\u201d Location 658<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          I have been a HUGE fan of Michael Hyatt for several years.\u00a0 I ran across his twitter feed and then his blog.\u00a0 He is committed to being an intentional leader and to making the most out of the talents and abilities that the Lord has blessed him with as an individual as well as leading […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,35,25,16,23,28,17,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review","category-creative","category-education","category-family","category-generosity","category-integrity","category-leadership","category-north-cobb-christian"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11981\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}