One of the toughest obstacles for a leadership team of a company to overcome is “vulnerability based trust” where it’s safe to have conflict and take risks rather than fear them. It’s human nature to avoid uncomfortable or risky situations. Sure, there are people who are calm, cool and collected when the heat rises in a meeting but most become quiet or at least wait till someone else breaks the ice.
We are finally in football season! And if you’re a fan, whether it’s Pop Warner, high school, college or the pro’s, you have either heard or maybe even yelled “Throw the Flag Ref!” when you see an illegal block, blatant un-sportsman like conduct or some other infraction by a player. People at sporting events are always yelling at the refs, some with great zeal and passion while others don’t waste their breath because they think they can’t be heard (and in most of today’s professional stadiums, this may be true).
I recently read “Eleven Rings” by legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson and he shares his secrets on how he managed 2 of the most talented players in Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and built 2 successful championship programs.
I recently started the EOS Process with a new client and in our 1st meeting they were introduced to the Level 10 Meeting Agenda. The Level 10 Meeting Agenda incorporates the psychology of what makes for great weekly meetings, forcing you to look at and address what is most important, solving your issues as they arise. In my experience as a Certified EOS Implementer, everyone typically fights the L10 agenda at first. I hear excuses like: “we don’t have time each week to meet”, or “we can’t commit to the same day and same time every week, we’re too busy.” I’ve heard them all and this client was no exception. After listening to all of their excuses, I reminded them how they all complained about their previous meeting format prior to starting with EOS and asked them “what do you have to lose?” They agreed to give it a try. The week after our Focus Day, I was contacted by one of the Leadership Team members thanking me for giving them a voice in their first L10 meeting. The team member went on to explain how they always felt “walked on” in their meetings, never able to get a word in without someone interrupting or talking over them. By following the L10 Agenda Issue Solving Track (IDS: Identify/Discuss/Solve), they were able to “Tee Up” an issue to the team and explain it without being interrupted. “People were actually listening to me!” they said.
