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Ways to minimize the BOSS Effect in Meetings

I saw this on LinkedIn posted by a friend of mine. It is so true that most of would not even think of disagreeing with the situation. This is result of our approach of one or many of the following:

  1. Rule number 9 & 10| Rule 9—BOSS is always right| Rule 10 – If BOSS is wrong refer rule 9

  2. Several centuries of having ruled under slavery like environment, differing with BOSS is often considered to be courageous (read suicidal)

  3. Path of easy approach

  4. Avoiding confrontation

  5. …

The meetings as I have experienced are of three types:

  1. Exploratory

    • These meetings are often to develop New Plan / New Approaches/ New strategies

    • Most often the agenda is futuristic

    • The current information is only used to look into future (forecast or predict)

    • It is more like brainstorming

  2. Review

    • These meeting are for reviewing

      • the status of a project

      • performance as against the target

      • operations

      • …

    • These involve

      • the presentation of data on performance

      • comparative statements on performance

  3. Information Sharing

    • These are of the type where the senior is expected to communicate on certain important issues like union meeting progress, special business situation etc.

The last type is not an area of concern. I would try to put my thoughts on

how to minimize impact of BOSS

in first two type of meeting

Exploratory Meetings

:

  1. While the meeting is expected to be exploratory, it is necessary to bringing objectivity in the meeting. For example, if we are doing a meeting in to build a strategic plan for the business the steps that could help are

    • Making the topic specific for example in place of saying Business Strategy we can "Strategy to meeting the risk ABC"

    • Insistence of Home work on the topic and circulation of the opinion/ views prior to meeting (This rarely happens)

  2. Most important of all these that BOSS should speak in the last. Most meeting would begin with a "lecture" by the BOSS. Making this last thing in the agenda itself can help in making meeting more productive.

Review Meetings:

  1. The problem begins with not having an objective response to following questions on review:

    • What to review?

      • Can I say "Sales Actual versus Budget for a period" instead of saying Sales Department Performance

    • Data for review

      • Often the review comments or the comments on the performance would be subjective. For example "the sales have improved". Instead we should seek to know improved from "where to where in what period".

  2. The review presentation should be made with data and interpretation based on information presented in following order

    • Current Level of Performance

    • Trend in the performance (minimum of 3 data points)

    • Comparison of performance with target, benchmark etc

  3. Interpretation must include the linkage to the process that has resulted in the change in performance.

I have tried to list the above based on my experience. These cannot eliminate the impact of BOSS on behavior during meeting, but would reduce. The most important step toward this would be acceptance of the BOSS to reduce his/her role in the meeting.

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