The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance

Namely, performance is optimal when some level of stress exists, and performance is lowest in the absence of stress, as well as when there is an abundance of stress.

promoting consensus, thus serving as a focal point for collective drive and energy.

Typically, organizations outsource 360-degree survey efforts to consulting companies. I have yet to find one consulting company that includes any content around meetings in its assessment.

When you take into account all the direct costs and potential indirect costs, the investment in meetings is incredibly significant. If you liken a meeting to a type of communication technology, could this actually be one of the largest unidentified line items in an organizational budget?

By engaging in this practice of rating meetings and making improvements based on feedback, Weight Watchers is creating a culture that elevates the importance of meetings.

Beliefs around the value and benefits of employee inclusion, of empowerment, of teams, of employee buy-in, and of employee engagement are more prominent than ever as efficient ways to achieve short-term and long-term organizational survival and success. Meetings are a key mechanism to express these values.

Meetings can be stages for leaders to truly lead, share their visions, be authentic, and inspire and engage their team. At the same time, meetings are a form of localized democracy where ideas and innovation can emerge through employee interaction—even the smallest voices have the opportunity to be heard and to be given life and influence. Perhaps

They think carefully about the design and execution of the meeting, from soup to nuts—they never just “phone it in.

Another opportunity for leader development and accountability is to conduct 360-degree feedback surveys that contain some content on meetings.