I think it’s safe to say none of us like sitting in meetings discussing things we may or may not be involved in while everyone and their monkey’s uncle has an opinion. Unfortunately, it’s the nature of the jungle that is corporate America, but fortunately, I work for a company that is very in tune with how meetings are the bane of most of our existences.

I myself ask our local business leaders and owners for meetings as well, however, recently I started refocusing the meeting to be more of an open dialogue, where responses are welcome and encouraged, and hearing their perspective allows you to see where they need encouragement or education.

I know, mind blowing right?

What I mean by this is that no one likes to be talked to, but they don’t mind talking with you. I sat down and came up with a simple process I have been testing, and it has shown to be not only productive but has been received well.

Five steps to success

Be open about the purpose

I start the meeting by echoing my previous sentence, that this is not a time for me to talk at them, it’s a time for us to talk to one another. What I have noticed is that it opens the room up, makes people more comfortable, and makes the environment a little less stuffy. Arms relax, people look ahead or rotate their bodies towards me without being glazed over, and they seem eager to participate. This is true for a group or a one-on-one.

I then call out the elephant in the room, this doesn’t have to be a positive or a negative thing but just lay it out. For instance, if it is a meeting about how to improve sales efficiencies or identifying opportunities easier, say just that and then follow it with a team goal/aspect. “Today we are meeting about some recent member complaints on the business side, these were the complaints, and we are going to speak on how to reframe the situation for next time.”

No reprimanding, no putting down or calling anyone out, just pure facts.

Hear their perspective

Second, I ask their point of view on the topic at hand to gauge an understanding of where the staff is with their education on the subject matter. For instance, we just brought on a whole suite of treasury management products for our business members, and we really need to start pushing them harder by identifying opportunities.

Well, do you think people are comfortable speaking about something they don’t understand? If they’re politicians, maybe, but we are credit union employees and we are here to serve our communities. Take the time to educate them on what they don’t understand. Ask them, where do you feel the most confident and where do you feel the least?

Offer help now and in the future

Third, garner and offer support. Ask your team, “How can we better support you?” This will most likely fall in line with number two above where you identify any weaknesses, or it may in fact spark an entirely different solution than what you were expecting.

Be careful with this as a major brainstorming session may break out. Although I love nothing more than good brainstorming sessions, this can lead you off track and get you into the weeds. Let it happen, but control it by acknowledging how these ideas are great, let’s meet on those at a separate time…and then actually do it.

Know your audience

The fourth principle is probably the most important and the most likely the toughest for a lot of us and that’s simply because it has to do with personal accountability. As leaders, we have the tendency to think we have it all figured out when in fact we don’t as much as we like to think. It is tough in middle to upper management to identify and react to every individual’s personality, so having a high emotional intelligence of who you are dealing with at that moment is key.

This is tough, and admittedly, I had to learn how to have a good foundational emotional intelligence. Even if your emotional intelligence quotient is not significantly high, it can be learned and it can help offset the inefficiencies you may have by simply having an empathetic approach to the conversation by letting them open up first.

Another part of that is creating an environment in the workplace where people feel they can be open to conversing with their management teams—the “culture” piece if you will. And no, it’s not how many pizza parties or gift card giveaways you procured throughout the year. It’s the pulse, the energy of your company.

Be a role model

Do you as a leader (or even an employee) set the tone for the day? Do you greet your cohorts with positivity and do their cohorts replicate that? Pay attention to not only your body language and your language but pay attention to your staff as well.

Admittedly, some say I have what the youngsters like to call “RBF” but I call Resting Nick Face. I am just not a smiley person and apparently, I look mean or upset when my face is resting. However, I know this and I make it a point to acknowledge people and nod or say hello and how are you and the other small gestures that may drop that guard. Often, people come to me when they’re feeling some type of way just for the simple fact I like to and want to listen and they feel comfortable doing so because, despite my RNF, I am a pretty approachable and nice guy. I like to think anyway.

Communication is critical

At the end of the day, it is important to foster open dialogue between you and your employees/cohorts no matter what industry you are in. Frustration stems from a lack of communication, but when communication is prioritized, beautiful things can happen in your personal and professional lives. Sometimes nothing major needs to even happen within your organization other than people knowing they are heard and acknowledged.

Thanks for reading.