The PMA Blog

Last week, as I plugged into my computer and logged into my video conferencing software, I found myself asking this exact question. It was the end of a long week, and I was meeting with some industry colleagues to discuss a potential upcoming project. While the work was exciting and I was happy to connect with my colleagues, I found myself dreading this particular phone meeting.  Why, you ask?

Raise your hand if this scenario sounds familiar: you’re 55 minutes into your one-hour team meeting to introduce a new change, you wanted your team to weigh in, and now you’re heading down a rabbit hole that you don’t think you can get out of.  You know that one of two scenarios are inevitable: you risk running over and making people late for their next appointments, or someone is bound to leave feeling thoroughly unsatisfied. As managers, how do we get in front of this phenomenon while still giving people a voice?

Think back to the last time you suggested a new idea to someone else. It could have been as simple as a new recipe for dinner at home, or as involved as suggesting a new way to solve a complex problem at work. How was that information received? Did people go along with your suggestion, or were you met with resistance that surprised you?

In our Change Leadership and Change Readiness workshops, we often begin by polling the room and asking who thinks that they respond well to change. Here is what normally happens: a handful of hands go up immediately (maybe 1/3 of the room), some people admit that they’re not too fond of change, and most people will say that it depends.  People are open to change when it directly benefits them, or better yet, when it was their suggestion.  So what is a leader to do when a change coming from the organizational leadership is met with resistance? 

Focus on Results, Not Tasks

In order to change results, you have to focus on the right things. Thinking about your day as a bunch of to-do's will get you nowhere fast. Instead, drive your day by the objectives. What are the results you are trying to accomplish and is there a direct correlation to the way you are spending your time? If your tasks don't roll up to a specific objective, seriously question their value.  And if they do, prioritize and work the most important one first.  

It's time for your summer team meeting and you haven't even begun to plan it.  Don't let your meeting be like the ones where the most memorable parts are the adult beverages consumed after the meeting! 

The 5 F's will make your summer team meeting a phenomenal success with almost no time to plan:

I recently heard syndicated radio host, Mel Robbins, report that one-third of Americans feel "stuck" on a regular basis.  In my experience, feeling stuck is usually connected to these thought patterns:

I recently found myself having one coaching session after another with front line managers and team leaders on the virtues of being more vulnerable with their team and colleagues.  It seems that this is one of the leadership qualities we miss in our supervisory onboarding efforts.  They get stuck trying to be more authoritative and show everyone why they are now the manager.  Some feel compelled to know everything and cover up mistakes with justifications.  In their efforts, many end up alienating the very people who once believed they would make a good manager. 

 Does this look familar after a five minute meeting?