One of the most important assets in any business or organization is employees' mindsets. Often leaders, businesses and organizations invest large sums of money in technology, brick and mortar spaces and other external elements, yet they find later that they become stalled or drained. If the focus was on empowering emotionally intelligent mindsets instead, the result would likely be more energy and innovation, engagement and productivity.
I've found that one tool that can help a company create emotionally intelligent employee mindsets is the strategy meeting. By definition, a strategy meeting is a consistent 30- to 40-minute meeting focused on moving processes, issues, actions and information with fluidity.
There are six key components of a powerful strategy meeting. It's important to shape the meeting around these and not leave any out. In my experience, the impact of a strategy meeting that has these six components includes more employee buy-in, better decision making, transparency, increased strategic risk-taking, improved engagement and more positive relationships. It also can remove work-related barriers by decreasing employee conflict, apathy, crisis orientation and inefficiencies.
As leaders, customize your strategy meeting to your team culture in a way that synergizes it. The process does take some practice; therefore, it's important to do your due diligence. A strategy meeting isn't one long list of to-dos or what we did wrong. It's a collective time to move through actions that lead to success and remove issues that are barriers to getting there.
Here are the six components of a powerful strategy meeting:
1. The Commitment
Schedule your meeting for 30-40 minutes every week. Hold this time as sacred to demonstrate that consistent communication, brainstorming and planning are key to the success of the company. It is during this time that you can build a continual rapport with your team, inspire greater input and hold them to higher accountability.
2. The Agreements
Agreements between you and your team members can keep accountability high. Agreements are: what you'd like to see change, how you'd like it to change, when you'd like the change to occur and how you'll show this change. Anytime a behavior or action is required, use this formula to ensure a clearer commitment.
3. The Pre-frame
This means consistently preparing the three outcomes you'd like to see for each session. As a leader, ask yourself, "What would have the most impact for the team when it comes to information, resolution and effectiveness?" Your answers become your clear agenda. The pre-frame also includes visualizing success in these outcomes occurring, as well as mentally preparing yourself to do this with interest and empowerment. Be sure to allow for questions from your team.
4. The Energy Model
How the energy flows in the meeting space can affect how successful your meeting will be. Create an energy model using keywords that you think represent the kind of energy you want to feel in the room. For example, you may want to say that the space allows for respect, creativity, curiosity, energy for challenges and team support. Each session, make sure you verbally remind the team that the space is important and that the energy and belief you have is: "We are a team that sees issues as resolved, challenges as exciting and resources as abundant."
5. Revealing The Elephant In The Room
Because you've created a space that's focused on creativity, innovation, safety and team support, transparency can be exciting. Revealing the elephant in the room means that if there are any issues, mistakes or conflicts affecting the team, they can be brought up during the meeting with a focus on resolving them easily and quickly.
6. The Big Three Blue Bison Goals
These are the three unique, powerful goals that your team will accomplish this week in order to excel. The blue bison concept originates from the fact that, to me, the color blue symbolizes development, and a bison can represent strength, taking action, freedom, consistency and abilities. Have your team focus on these three goals and correlate the smaller actions to them. These can become the focus and expectation for success. An example of a big three blue bison goal is: "That we as a team see differing perspectives as an excellent opportunity to learn how together there might be an even better solution on the other side." Or perhaps: "As a team, we engage our customers with a new sense of feeling valued by greeting each one with a state of optimism and curiosity so they feel heard, seen and valued."
We live in a knowledge age with a very technical and educated workforce. Yet in many workplaces, employees seem to lack training in the areas of communication, team integration, emotional intelligence and building resourceful intelligence. Holding strategy meetings can be a good way for companies and leaders to train employees in these areas. Companies are their people. Invest in their mindsets, and you change everything.
