This week we discuss tips, tricks and how-to’s involved in conducting action meetings. The first trick I want to share involves changing our mind about problems. I used to think of problems as these ugly things that get in the way of achieving our goals. Now I know better. I’ve learned three things about problems that literally changed my mind. First, I’ve learned that problems simply come with the territory. If we’re alive, we have problems. Full stop. Second, I’ve learned that problems are not the problem – it’s their age that’s a problem. If they are fresh, new problems they are just the business of life – and they give us a continuous flow of opportunities for continuous improvement, and to achieve our goals.
Third, I repeat, the problem with problems isn’t problems – it’s how we think about them – and what we do with them. (Reality Check: If we have no problems we’re either meditating on a mountain top or resting below ground.)
This week we look at building a problem-solving culture and conducting action meetings as our answer to, “What do we do with them?” Here we go.
‘Practice ‘The Rule of Three” in problem solving
I use ‘The Rule of 3’ to describe our approach: 1. The first time a problem occurs it is simply an opportunity. 2. If it occurs a second time, it’s a warning that we haven’t got it fixed. 3. If it occurs a third time it’s a condemnation – an alarm bell warning us that we are condemning ourselves to suffer this problem instead of solving it. Ouch. Let’s get on it!
Trade toxic stress for ‘athletic’ stress.
Old and new problems both cause stress, but fresh new issues cause what I call ‘athletic stress,’ – the kind of stress that challenges us and pushes our limits – while old, repeating problems cause us ‘toxic stress.’ In my turnaround work with companies in crisis, we attacked recurring problems ferociously. We had to. We had to get them out of the way – in order to free up the time, energy and drive we needed to build and execute a successful turn around strategy. Here’s a brief example:
Challenge: Previously loyal customers were deserting a client because quality of work and service levels steadily declined as employees were laid off – a self-perpetuating downward spiral.
Question: “How could we win these customers back?”
Solution: Implement rigorous Quality Management standards and procedures (for the first time) and communicate their new program – convincingly – to customers.
Action: We held action meetings at every station in the entire business – looking for ways to improve – immediately – and at minimal cost. Then, we invited customers to lunch meetings in the boardroom, for a presentation and Q and A on the new program, along with a tour of the plant.
Result:The results were exhilarating – an immediate and substantial uptick in sales as clients returned to the fold. This action initiative was the key to success in their entire turnaround program.
What is a problem solving culture?
A problem-solving culture develops as people learn to treat problems as opportunities – and to seek out problems proactively – and solve them immediately whenever possible. A problem-solving culture is one in which problem-solving systems and procedures – including action meetings – and Standard Operating Procedures – the ‘machinery’ of continuous improvement – are in place and people are practicing the problem-solving skills of lateral thinking and brainstorming.
Slogans, mantras and action meetings are signs of progress.
Slogans like “Stop and solve it now,” and “What’s good about it?” and “Predict. Proact. Prevent” tend to become part of the organisation’s language. It’s important to note that these aren’t empty slogans – they reinforce the fact that there’s always something good about something awful – and that out of (almost) every adversity comes an equal or greater benefit.
In a problem-solving culture people look for trouble proactively, and they treat issues – realistically – as opportunities to strengthen, not weaken, relationships – by attacking the problem not the person. In my work we know the culture is forming when regularly scheduled action meetings take the place of most old-style discussion meetings.
Here are some fast FAQ’s about conducting action meetings…
What is an action meeting? A meeting designed specifically to generate ideas, solve problems – and develop action-plans that set out ‘who’ commits to do ‘what’ by ‘when’ in implementing solutions. This type of meeting stresses brainstorming, consensus forming, action-planning, commitment management, and feeding back – rather than the usual discussion type of meeting.
What kinds of problems are tackled? The same topics that form the agenda in old-style discussion meetings – as well as pre and post-mortems.
Who gets to play? All members of the management team and all members of department teams. Ideally every person in the business or organisation has an action meeting home.
What resources are needed? I like using old-fashioned whiteboards and flip charts when brainstorming so ideas can be seen by everyone visually rather than being hidden away in laptops (I like the ‘sticky’ flip chart pads you can use on a flip chart stand, and stick on walls and windows of the meeting space.)
How is an action meeting conducted?
- Circulate the agenda, or request for agenda items, in advance
- Ask if someone will act as a scribe who enters action plan details in their laptop, and shares these with everyone, typically using an online document-sharing platform
- Open by asking each person who committed to an action plan at the last meeting to share status/results of the initiative with the group
- Then prioritize agenda items (see details below)
- Prioritize items and brainstorm first item (details below)
- Build consensus (details below)
- Write action plans (‘who’ commits to do ‘what’ by ‘when’) in implementing the chosen solution
What are the rules for effective brainstorming?
Action meetings are centered on free-flow brainstorming and creative and lateral thinking. These practices are new to most people and it is up to us as leaders to create and maintain conditions where participants feel safe to toss out ideas without being shot down. So. We need to spell out the rules of the road:
- During brainstorming, no criticism of ideas. And no sarcasm. No cheap shots. No insults. No put-downs. No gotcha’s. Etc.
- No discussion of ideas during free-flow brainstorming – everything goes! And everything gets recorded on flip chart or whiteboard.
- Facilitate – ask outspoken participants not to talk over or take over
- Police the action: Remind people that we avoid all behaviors that could disrupt the process or dampen anyone’s enthusiastic participation
- (Note: Resisting the temptation to attack each other – even in a good-natured way – can be a transformational experience for many people. When we follow the rules these destructive and disruptive behaviors tend to be replaced by expressions of respect when good ideas are presented – and patience with the person and the process when an idea flops. These are ideal conditions for a successful Action Meeting).
How can we ensure the full participation of quieter people?
- Use our ‘write down’ exercise. When brainstorming slows don’t assume that the group is out of ideas. Ask everyone to write down at least one idea that hasn’t yet been offered. Speaking to ourselves privately on paper seems to release our creative juices – and this little exercise surprises people with the volume of new and spin-off ideas they come up with. Then go round-robin, asking each person to state their new or refined idea(s) and record these for all to see. This little exercise virtually ensures full participation of quieter people. If language is an issue, use the buddy system – ask people to pair up and translate if possible and appropriate.
How do we evaluate and choose what ideas to pursue?
- First we need to find consensus on best ideas to consider.
- Often a simple show of hands will do the trick, asking first how many think we should proceed on an idea, followed by asking, “Does anyone feel strongly apposed?”
- If a majority agree and no one opposes it is safe to say we have consensus.
- Or, you can ask people to go to the flipchart sheets or whiteboard(s) and initial items they think should be considered. Then simply count the number of initials the ideas received and you now have consensus and a prioritized list
- Now ask ‘who’ will commit to do ‘what’ by ‘when’ in implementing the action
- Ask those who commit to record the details in their planners
- For more on how to make, request, and follow-through on commitments please see Post 10: Commitment Management on the front page of our website at neilgodin.com).
What do we do with problems between meetings?
We ‘Stop and solve them now!’ to quote one of our favorite mantras. Whenever possible we tackle issues where, when and with whoever is involved. If not we call a Code Red and conduct a special action meeting – or we add the issue to the agenda for the next regular team action meeting.
How do we measure success?
Simple. The greater the number of action plans, the more successful the meeting. (Ordinary meetings tend to generate discussions that produce very few action plans, literally causing unresolved problems to recur. This causes the toxic stress I mentioned earlier. As a result participants often describe traditional meetings as a waste of time).
Whew. I can hear you thinking, “That’s a lot to digest.” You’re right – and there’s more. If you decide to give action meetings a try, and have questions, please use the message box below to alert me and I’ll make getting back to you promptly my personal plan of action.
See you next week.
Neil
This was great. Thank you Neil.
Hi Trevor. I really appreciate your feedback, and I’m happy you found it useful.
NG
Hi Elichke. I dont know why it sends my reply to you instead of Trevor Fornier. Any idea how I can fix this?
Thanks and best !
NG
Hi Trevor. I really appreciate your feedback, and I’m happy you found it useful.
NG