Today I want to talk about a specific management tool. This article is a response to a letter from a friend from Kazakhstan.

"Hello! I need help in the form of advice. I was at a meeting with one district akim (governor in your opinion). He has a problem. There are 2 thieves deputies who do not work (and do not want to work and there is no sense in them, loafers, they sit for the sake of their status) and it is also impossible to fire them, because they are covered from above. And they still don’t want someone to do their work. Thus, my akim is in a trap. I would like to know how to solve this problem. Thanks in advance..."

I think that such a problem is faced not only in Kazakhstan, and not only in public institutions. Sometimes such a friend will sit in the company, everything seems to be fine with him, but there are no results. And there seems to be nothing to complain about, and nothing to fire for. What to do in this case?

I suggest a simple way - weekly planning

• The meeting doesn't have to be long.

Maximum - 30-40 minutes.

• A journal is being kept on the planner

This journal records everything that the leaders are going to achieve during the week.

• The planning meeting begins with the fact that the company's goal is read out.

It means big goal. For example: "Prosperous Russia, making a worthy contribution to world civilization". After that, the current goal is read, for example: "Raise income by 5 times this year."

• After that, the leader of the planning meeting asks the heads of departments to tell in turn about what they did last week to achieve the goal.

At the same time, the main function of the leading meeting is to ensure that the speaking leader does not "pour water" and does not allow phrases like "we increased the efficiency of the sales department by 15%". In this case, he simply asks politely what specific steps were taken and what was the result.

An answer, for example, could be:

We have trained salespeople. sent over 500 emails to our potential clients. AT total received 118 calls from interested clients and 53 invoices were issued for total amount 3 million 600 thousand. The total income for the department this week amounted to 1.8 million rubles. which is 15% more than last week.

This answer is acceptable. The moderator may initiate short applause from other leaders.

If the leader is trying to "pour water" or "cast a shadow on the wattle fence", the leader's task is to make other leaders see this. For example, such a phrase is suitable: "It was not an easy week. We thought a lot ..."

If such attempts continue, the leader of the planning meeting interrupts the speaker and says that the planning meeting is now, and if there are no concrete results, then we move on to the next section. Or he may ask the secretary to read the notes from the last planning meeting, and what exactly was planned to be achieved this week in this department.

For example:

1. 1. Conduct a new product survey with 400 customers. Made? No.
   2. Issue invoices for a total amount of 2 million 800 thousand rubles. Made? Exhibited for 17 thousand rubles.Train salespeople. Made? No, we were overwhelmed.
   3. Clearly enough. Let's move on to the next one.

I want to note that at such a planning meeting, it is revealed and made visible to all other managers who achieve results and really help the company move towards the goal, and who skillfully pretend to be a flexible hose and imitate useful activity.

• After everyone has shared their results, a goal is set for the next week for the whole company, and the facilitator reaches agreement among the participants with this goal.

The facilitator asks the leaders in turn to say what they are going to do to achieve this goal in their areas, and this is recorded in a journal.

Leaders can ask other leaders to do something extra if their departments are connected and they need joint action. An agreement is reached on this and recorded in the journal.

• After all this, the meeting leader asks if they are ready to really achieve the goal this week, and announces START!

This simple and effective form of holding a planning meeting allows you to achieve interesting results. Leaders either start to really produce and achieve results, or run away from the company under various pretexts, making room for new leaders who really want to contribute to the team, and not just pretend useful activity, being in the rays of glory and honor, receiving without earning.

Well, and most importantly, this form allows even very productive leaders to achieve even more, which I frankly wish you.

ARTICLES ON THE SAME TOPIC

	Public events
Sat, February 23, 2019 - 09:00

Hello dear readers and subscribers of Andrey Noak's Blog! Today I will tell you how to hold a planning meeting.

To manage any team, the leader must lead his subordinates. Effective Leadership the team should be carried out quickly enough, in a timely manner and efficiently.

The leader must monitor the work of certain people in a timely manner and, if necessary, direct their work. It is very convenient to use a planning meeting for this, where work is planned for a short period of time, most often it is one working day or one shift.

At the planning meeting, the leader has several tasks:

1. Monitor and ask subordinates the performance of production indicators.
2. Ask subordinates to perform technological discipline.
3. Monitor the implementation of safety measures in production.
4. Check the progress of current affairs.
5. Get information about the stocks of raw materials and materials for the production of products.
6. Obtain data on production, plan execution, compliance safe conditions labor.
7. Motivate workers.

The main task of the leader is to convey to the team his vision of the entire process of the work of the team, how, in the opinion of the leader, the site entrusted to him should work. His task is to set up and so that the work process is exactly the way he needs it.

Ways to increase the efficiency of planning meetings

So let's figure out what needs to be done in order to competently conduct a planning meeting in production:

• It is worth being able to distinguish between a planning meeting and a meeting. A planning meeting is a short event where current issues are discussed, as a rule, the maximum time spent on a planning meeting is 15-20 minutes. The meeting takes much more time and it discusses not so much current issues as issues for the future.
• Over time and experience, each leader determines some specific reference points along which he passes. For some points, every planning meeting, for some less often. So these questions should be before the head on paper. It is necessary to conduct a planning meeting according to the developed template, but if necessary, you can easily change the template.
• For the effective holding of planning meetings, it is necessary to fix the task for the leader for subordinates, the subordinate tasks that the leader sets. This is done in order to see the activities that need to be performed. Then it will be possible to say that there was a task from such and such a number and it was not completed. A map of actions for the nearest future appears in front of the subordinate. work time time.
• At the planning meeting, the tasks and scope of work for the current period of time should be clearly distributed. Everyone should know who and what will do.

When is a mat effective?

Is a mat in production necessary at all, not to mention the fact that the boss raises his hand to a subordinate? There is no single answer today. But it is safe to say that given form government is outliving itself.

The leader must be respected in the team, and put in the place of a subordinate, give him motivation, sometimes it is easiest to do it in an elevated tone. The leader should not forget that if he wants respect from the team, he needs to learn to respect the team himself. Today we can say that the boss needs to understand and feel where to raise his voice, and where to speak in a calm tone:

1. If a constructive dialogue is needed, definitely a calm conversation. Where the employee's creative initiative is needed, so that the employee comes up with something new, there, as a rule, the planning meeting takes place in a more relaxed atmosphere.
2. If you need to motivate and put subordinates in their place, it is possible to knock on the table with your fist, say a couple swear words. By the way, it is precisely about such cases that they often say: “Beat your own people so that strangers are afraid.”As a rule, raising your voice at a planning meeting is necessary where the direct execution of a task is necessary, without unauthorized actions of a subordinate. But do not forget that today is the age of technology, every mat can be recorded on a voice recorder and then sued.

Good luck and see you soon!

Boris Metlenko
Source: The ABC of the "corrupt" manager

Today you were surprised to learn that the boss decided to get closer to the people, and from Monday you will have to report on the work done at the five-minute planning meeting and make plans publicly. If you have a concept

Today you were surprised to learn that the boss decided to get closer to the people, and from Monday you will have to report on the work done at the five-minute planning meeting and make plans publicly. If you have no idea from which end to approach all this and what to expect - read on, come in handy.

Apparently, your boss finally got to some book like "Team Leadership for Dummies" or he was advised by older comrades. Actually, this is one of ground rules manager's work:

1. Set a task

2. Appoint performers

3. Determine deadlines

4. Control the performers in the process of executing the order.

A report at a five-minute planning meeting implies that employees load themselves and help control themselves. And the boss will sit, give out new assignments and make notes in his diary. This procedure is aimed at creating an atmosphere in the team “We have nothing to hide - we are a team. The authorities keep their finger on the pulse of events. The staff is not abandoned. Big brother is watching you".

This is so that you know what motives drive your leadership.

I have two news for you: one is good, and the second ... decide for yourself.

The good news is that few leaders are able to punctually carry out their own tasks. own rules. (All this glider mess might be over soon)

One more news:

If this has not been accepted in your organization before, then change is coming, and you are given the chance to make yourself noticed and appreciated. I'm talking about a career.

1. Your plans must be realistic.

A real plan is one behind which there is a live action. A task that you know well, and imagine how to complete it from the first to the last step. For any question posed before or during work, you must give a clear and detailed answer. (Leaders who think in concrete rather than vague categories appreciate this).

I will give examples of how to distinguish an abstract chef from a concrete one.

The boss, who thinks clearly, uses turns in his speech, every word of which can be seen and felt. "I don't see results." "Show me exactly what you did." “You are not visible, you are not felt at work.” "Take it over", etc. he is focused on the result, his element exact numbers and exact dates.

The boss, thinking abstractly and only abstractly, will sound like this: "Let's outline the prospects." “We will discuss the possibilities of interaction”, “Your order must be completed as quickly as possible.” Such a person, as a rule, is focused on the process. He can do a lot of work, he is constantly busy with something, but the result is close to zero.

(For those who know what NLP is: Concrete chef - kinesthetic-visual or visual-kinesthetic. Abstract chef - auditory. Check, observe)

2. Include unchecked tasks in the plan. (Simulator of ebullient activity)

Unverifiable plans - this is the area of ​​​​your activity that cannot be checked if you do not sit over your soul all day long. Why is this needed? But why. Whatever programs you develop, whatever projects you hatch, circumstances will definitely intervene and interfere with you. These will be colleagues and relatives with their questions and problems, bad weather with their precipitation and the authorities with your own report. To get a time head start for unforeseen work and there are untested plans. (I do not advise you to abuse it, 1-2 pieces of unverified tasks per week will be enough)

“What did 2 hours of working time do?” the boss asks.

“I was waiting for an appointment at the housing and communal services committee, as I reported to you at the planning meeting on Monday,” you cheerfully answer.

Everything, no questions.

A programmer friend of mine wrote an application that, when launched, displayed running numbers on the screen, blue bars of progress indicators with changing percentages, etc. When he needed to leave on his own business, he launched this programmule, turned to everyone “Don’t touch the computer, my database is being reindexed there” and fell off. However, he handed over all his duties and developments on time. (!)

3. When discussing the time you need to complete work tasks, ask for one and a half to two times more than you really need. Get it done early - report early and gain a reputation as an executive employee or spend the time saved on other things. Unforeseen difficulties in work will arise - you will still cope with the promised deadline and remain with the reputation of a reliable employee: "This one, if he promised, will do it."

There is a rule: it will take twice as much time and three times as much time to complete a project. more money than originally thought." Sounds unimportant, right? However, this is a rule from a smart book, confirmed by life. I first encountered him when my friends and I opened a cafe, where I later was the manager. The rule worked with an accuracy of two days and a hundred rubles. Then there were many more confirmations. Look around you, ask your friends. If they have these indicators better, then I have something to learn from them.

4. For the current routine, which does not bring tangible results, but takes a lot of time, already at the 3-4th planning meeting ask yourself a helper or the ability to shift this work to a less active or unloaded employee. (If you give him into submission - this is the beginning of the formation of your team).

That's all there is to planning. Let's move on to reports.

5. Avoid reporting intermediate results , unless of course this is for a long-term project or the management does not require an immediate report.

People need to know WHAT you do, not HOW you do it.

Sooner or later mastery will come to you - this is the ability to cope with work quickly and easily. Unfortunately, in this country they do not like lightness, here the hard hard work of a non-professional is held in high esteem. (non-pros are cheaper)

If you are still asked: “At what stage is the implementation of SOMETHING THERE GLOBAL ???” - have in stock a clearly streamlined answer like: "At the stage of consideration of documents by clients." "Agreement in principle has been reached to meet during this (next) week." etc.

6. Brevity, accuracy, clarity. These are the criteria for your speech at the meeting. Be prepared to answer additional questions.

7. Reporting on the work done, do not be modest. You do not need other people's laurels, but what is yours is only yours. If you were helped, be sure to mark it (people will be grateful to you). If they interfere, then threaten: "I will report to the authorities at the planning meeting."

And one more small digression. Please do not consider this text as a guide to bothering the heads of the authorities. What is written here will help you create yourself comfortable conditions work. Notice, not staying at work, namely work. Unfortunately, there is one more rule of office life: "Whoever plows, they ride on it." These recommendations will allow you to build your own work area in the office, protected from unnecessary claims of management ("You see - I'm busy!", "I've never let you down, so let me make money for you normally") and at the same time using all available opportunities for effective work and career growth.

I will be very glad to comments, criticism, suggestions.

We recommend reading it to everyone who has to organize planning meetings, five-minute meetings and other meetings. Many do it, but few do it well. The article describes the stages of preparing a meeting, its structure, evaluating the effectiveness and fixing the results - everything you need to know in order to conduct a really useful meeting.

Author about himself

Evgeny Koryakovtseva. Consultant, independent business coach. More than ten years of experience in the retail format, experience as an external consultant in a consulting agency and an internal trainer in retail chains, led the B2B sales department.

Experience in conducting seminars, trainings, lectures (more than 400 projects). Knowledge modern methods management, training and evaluation of personnel in retail; formation complex projects along these lines. Experience in describing business processes, building training systems, developing personnel motivation systems and project management.

We all participate in meetings. And someone even has to prepare and conduct them. Or gliders. Or group discussions. Admit it, many of us extremely dislike such "talkers".

Why? Because the attitude has been absorbed into the blood of any of our people: a meeting is when they talk for a long time, officially and tediously, but after that nothing is done anyway. Well, isn't it a waste of time?

This wonderful format

Meetings in companies are often scheduled unexpectedly, held on a case-by-case basis. In addition, they are not properly prepared, and leaders do not know how to organize the discussion. Therefore, many participants perceive the information incorrectly (didn’t hear, didn’t understand, forgot) - the necessary decisions are not made (postponed and hang), and if they are approved, they are often not implemented. So right?

I'm sorry for this wonderful format work. That is why in today's article we will discuss why it is good, what makes group discussion indispensable, how to conduct it effectively.

To begin with, why do we need all this? Why bring together many busy people to take them away from work?

A quality meeting allows you to use the key mechanisms that increase productivity, which is more...

The principle of synergy. The synergy effect has long been known to psychologists. Remember? — The efficiency of the whole is higher than the total efficiency of its individual parts. Or even simpler: one head is good, but two is better. And it is true. It is together that we are able to generate more ideas, find many solutions to the problem and choose the optimal one from this variety. In the group discussion mode, people begin to work as a whole, complementing each other. Efficiency also multiplies - check. That's why, if you need to solve a series of operational issues, then a quality discussion, this huge resource, should not be neglected.

The principle of unity. A team, that is, people who see the same goal, trust each other and know how to work together, is more effective than one person. Do you agree? How will your employees become a team? Suddenly? By yourself? Maybe immediately highly effective? And for what? The key to team building is to move towards the goal together, active and organized. And all these conditions live in the meeting mode. Meetings and scheduling - powerful tool cohesion, the formation of respect for colleagues and the leader, an excellent teaching tool. Therefore, if it is important for you that employees work harmoniously, and not just appear in one department or company, conduct weekly meetings with high quality.

Understanding principle. Many people are afraid of the unknown. Normal person- voluntarily or involuntarily, consciously or not - resists the incomprehensible and unfamiliar, and this is absolutely natural. But what if the company’s goals, its performance indicators, tasks for the next month, etc. suddenly fall into the category of incomprehensible? What does a person feel when they demand to dig a hole, but do not say why, how deep and where? Of course resistance and demotivation.

Meetings are a platform for explaining the "party course", increasing its clarity, acceptance by employees, and, consequently, a tool for reducing their resistance to uncertainty. Therefore, if you implement changes, take them through a series of planning sessions and meetings.

An experienced leader knows that meetings create an organization. With their help, you can maintain communication within the company and implement decisions, verify how employees see goals, and break down barriers between departments. If you do not hold meetings, then rumors and speculation are born in your organization. This is a problem that leads to disunity and uncertainty of employees in tomorrow, and here it’s close to losing control.

Well-run meetings can do wonders. Keyword it is nice here. What should be taken into account when holding meetings?

Principles for Effective Meetings

Compliance with tasks

There are several meeting formats: meeting, brainstorm; glider, five minutes. Each format has indications for use and methodology. Deciding to gather people, soberly evaluate your goals and objectives. What do you want from this format? People need to find a solution? Then it's brainstorming - you are all on an equal footing and take into consideration any ideas. Do you want to set tasks? Then this is a planning meeting with a protocol and an agenda... The format is determined by the key points: the role of the leader of the meeting, the style of communication at the meeting, the result of the meeting.

Format examples:

Meeting. The goal is to generate ideas, evaluate options, find solutions. That is, the team is working in creative mode. The apotheosis of this format is brainstorming. Required condition- the opportunity to voice an idea / opinion, that is, culture free communication at the meeting. People should feel free to express their thoughts, this should be encouraged. Therefore, there should be no harsh non-constructive criticism.

Planerka. The goal is to analyze Current state process and identify new challenges. This format is closer to verbal reporting on the given indicators, so the presence of these same indicators is mandatory for it. The planning meeting always takes place on business, according to the agenda.

Five minutes. The goal is to set priorities, to form a working mood. Five-minute sessions are not held to solve global problems and answer the questions “Who is to blame?” and "What to do?" This is a reminder format. The key requirements are positive and short-term. Remember, morning meetings play the role of a stimulant-activator-motivator. Their duration is from 5 to 15 minutes - no longer!

concreteness

Are the tasks themselves defined? Before the meeting, write down the agenda clearly and prepare the materials you need. Send the agenda to all participants in advance (no later than three hours before the start, but preferably the day before) so that they too can prepare. This will allow all of you not to get lost in tasks, stick to the line of the meeting and meet the allotted time.

brevity

Any meeting should fit into a minimum possible time. The ideal is 30 minutes, the maximum is an hour. It is very bad if you have to prominate the fifth point for several hours. Why? Arbitrary attention It is human nature to dissipate over time, specifically within 30-40 minutes. With a monotonous process, what is happening ceases to be perceived after 20-30 minutes. And with a decrease in attention, a person’s memory works much worse ... This tells us: after 3 hours of a meeting, people will be very inefficient.

Timing

A prerequisite for an effective meeting is strict timing or regulations. Set a start and end time for the meeting. Start at the designated time, regardless of whether everyone has pulled up - this will teach people not to be late. Set a HONEST deadline in time (for example, an hour and a half) and 10 minutes before the deadline - finish, regardless of the result. Set a five-minute timer for each speaker, this will teach people to talk to the point. Stop off-topic conversations at the meeting, bring people back to the topic. Have a clear agenda for the meeting. It should be in front of all participants.

Adequacy of participants

The meeting should be attended only by those employees who are affected by the agenda. NEVER invite people to a trailer meeting, just sit. Follow the principle of optimality: there should be fewer participants, but the level of their influence on the question is higher.

Right to speak

Are you familiar with meetings in which employees only speak when they are asked and give the manager socially desirable answers, such as “yes, of course we will”? Why is this happening? Because people are used to getting "on the head" for expressing an opinion, especially for doubting. If the manager asks to evaluate whether the problem can be solved, the employee shows doubt, and the manager silences him in response - what then do the rest learn? Be silent and don't get angry. And what do we need from them? Intelligence and analysis. Incompatible things, right? Therefore, it is during the meeting, like in no other time, that employees need to be given the right to speak, to have opinions, ideas, doubts, questions. Moreover, it is necessary to learn how to answer the questions of employees: briefly, to the point, while stopping unnecessary and long moans about the hard office life.

Consolidation of results

Every meeting, and especially one where you set goals, should have a written outcome. I encourage you to keep an electronic record of the meeting. For example, in this form:

After the meeting, minutes are sent to all participants. It is the protocol of the meeting that becomes a control tool, allowing you not to miss anything, not to forget a single task. A translation of the protocol into electronic system(for example, 1C or Lotus) makes it possible to integrate it into the task setting system. And most importantly, you should definitely ask about the tasks set at the last meeting. It is the cyclic mode of meetings "analysis → tasks → control → analysis" that allows you to transfer the meeting from the idle talk mode to the work format.

Scheduled meeting

Everything that can be transferred to a planned mode must be transferred. The only way to get used to control procedures is to lay a planned course for them. Ideally, all employees should know when they will be asked for this or that matter, that is, when they need to report - in order to have time to collect data and prepare a meaningful report. Unscheduled meetings are appropriate only for urgent and important matters, and the proportion of such unannounced meetings should be low. Otherwise, the employee simply does not have time to prepare (which means you will hear “I don’t know”), sometimes he won’t even be able to be present (two come instead of eight, the rest are “in the fields”), he is distracted from work (and high performance requires concentration), etc.

To evaluate the effectiveness of your meetings, take the test:

Do you have this?	Not really
Meetings are held irregularly.
Meetings are scheduled suddenly (unexpectedly, like an urgent TASS announcement).
Topic not set. There is no regulation. Participants do not know in advance what will happen at the meeting. The leader himself does not know exactly what he wants.
Duplicating the agenda at different meetings. Chewing on known information...
The leader knows what he wants to say, but has not thought through how to do it more effectively. As a result, information is distorted, misunderstandings arise, unnecessary disputes arise, decisions are executed poorly or not executed at all...
The meeting is not complete.
The manager often postpones meetings, starts at the wrong time, and does not follow the rules.
Participants do not fit into the rules. As an option: they get distracted, do not follow the timing, jump from topic to topic, interrupt each other.
The host speaks, speaks ... The participants are bored, think about their own, talk.
The leader is the first to express his opinion on the issue under discussion. Employees understand that their opinion is no longer important.
The leader does not speak his mind. Doesn't respond to numbers. Doesn't analyze facts. The meeting becomes sluggish and colorless. Lost purpose and meaning. No solutions, no incentives - wasted time.
Discussion of hot issues (salary, fines, etc.) turns into a "bazaar".
At the meeting, a "public execution" takes place.
The employee should talk about some issue at the meeting. You instructed him to do this, but did not check how he understood the task and what he was going to say. And so he speaks, and you become ill.
Decisions made are not controlled, not checked, not implemented.
The leader does not analyze his mistakes in the meeting.

Do you have more than 3 "yes"? Let's optimize!

Stages of preparing and holding an effective meeting

Define the goals and objectives of the meeting. What issues need to be addressed? What information to track? What conclusions to draw? What is the best way to structure tasks?

Determine the format of the meeting based on the tasks. Select participants and meeting time. The meeting MUST have a chairperson/facilitator who will keep track of the rules. This person should have less responsibility for solving the problem that the meeting is about. Then he is less fixated on emotions (than, for example, the initiator of the meeting) and does not lobby, voluntarily or involuntarily, for profitable last decision. And the right to speak is given honestly to all present.

Determine the structure of the meeting. The meeting should have a clear structure and each time take place exactly in the order envisaged by it.

Typical planer structure:

• Opening speech / warm-up.

  Goals. Regulations. Format.

  General issues.

  General results of the work. Fulfillment of assigned tasks.

  Private results / reports of participants.

  Analysis of results. Setting goals. Summarizing.

Typical meeting structure:

Designation of the problem, goals. The importance of the topic. Plans.

Goals. Regulations. Format.

Discussion. Analysis.

Analysis of results. Setting goals.

Summarizing.

Typical brainstorming or discussion structure:

Introductory speech / goals of the meeting / regulations.

The problem and why it matters.

Generation of ALL solutions.

Discuss the pros and cons of each option.

Choice of solution. Based on it, setting tasks for the participants.

Preparing minutes of the meeting.

Define a regulation. When developing the regulations, remember that it should be convenient for both the leader and the participants. Standard: 3-7 minutes for a presentation on setting goals; 5-7 minutes for debate. It is useful to provide breaks at the rate of 10-15 minutes for every 45-60 minutes active work. By and large, meetings longer than an hour are a risk of losing the attention of the participants. Such meetings can be ineffective.

Establish the order of issues to be addressed. Issues under the regulations are determined by those key points, on which depends overall result and the quality of the firm's performance (for example, feedback from customers, response to advertising, information about new products, etc.).

Divide all questions into three groups.

1. Regular questions - according to the rules. Try to quickly deal with regular questions. At first, their discussion can take all the time. Then current questions will be added to them - people will themselves be active. But your priority, which determines the speed of moving forward, is development issues. Spend up to 50% of your meeting time on them.

   Current questions - according to the meeting plan: ideas that have arisen, problems, what hinders the work and how to optimize it. In total, you can make out no more than 5 questions. Always start with the most important. Better end up with one important issue than to leave not fully resolved ten.

   Development issues - according to the development plan.

Prepare Required documents and forms. In order to effectively work through the issues, it is extremely important to properly prepare the material for the meetings and send it to everyone in advance. At the meeting itself, it is necessary to keep minutes of the meeting, where all decisions taken should be recorded.

Determine the time of the meeting. If employees do not differ in discipline, they are often late, I recommend holding weekly meetings in the morning, right at the beginning of the working day - a timely arrival to work is guaranteed. The most malicious "latecomers" will be re-educated in a few days. Always indicate the end time of the meeting. Try to finish a little earlier - it becomes pleasant surprise for participants. In any case, there should still be some time left after the discussion of planned issues. Then employees will have the opportunity, reason and incentive to ask their questions - that is, to be active and think. And what could be better for a leader than an active and intelligent employee!

Make sure the meeting is necessary.

Answer yourself the following questions:

1. Are there questions for the meeting? Is this what we need to talk about today?

   Does the form of presentation of the material correspond to the purpose, audience, content?

   What should happen / remain in the minds of employees after the meeting?

   Is it possible to skip the meeting and achieve the same result?

If you answered “Yes” to questions 1, 2 and “No” to question 4, feel free to hold a meeting!

The meeting, says Sergey Logachev, is not just a tool for setting management tasks and obtaining feedback from employees. A lot depends on how planning meetings and operational meetings are held in the company: both the efficiency of each individual employee and the efficiency of the company as a whole. In the meantime, Mr. Logachev notes, this is a real chaos in Russian organizations.

Formatting meetings makes the team hierarchy more transparent

The main symptom of ineffective meetings is the loss of time, visible to the naked eye, Sergei Logachev states. At the same time, both parties remain unsatisfied - both the manager, who expects an increase in efficiency and labor productivity, and his subordinates, who are interested in agreeing on everything on terms that are most beneficial to them.

The second manifestation of inefficiency that I often notice is that employees begin to mimic, that is, to pretend that they need and are interested in all these meetings, knowing full well that the minutes and hours spent in the meeting room are the time when you can not work, and then blame the leadership itself for this, they say, it too often distracts people from their main work. But worst of all, ineffective meetings can be grounds for dismissal. See for yourself: employees, at the initiative of the manager, are forced to discuss unstructured information, waste time on chatter, and when the director suddenly demands the implementation of plans, shifting responsibility from one head to another begins. The subordinates draw a simple conclusion for themselves: we have bad management, it's time to leave here. And the team begins to film, and not alone, but in whole divisions. These are already quite specific human losses that an improperly organized meeting can lead to

What are the main mistakes that top managers make during meetings.

The main mistake is when the leader himself does not know what he wants. Therefore, the meeting algorithm often turns into a hackneyed scheme for “selling” a solution, when the manager comes and says: “I want this!” Employees begin to report to him about the reasons and problems due to which the goal cannot be achieved. The head rests, but after some time, “convinced” by his subordinates, he lowers the bar. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief and disperses, each with his own interest: the leader “forced” his subordinates, the subordinates “persuaded” the director. With this approach, the game “I don’t understand you” turns into a part corporate culture. And this is just one example of working "with rot".

What is the right way to set goals for meetings?

The leader should know better than his subordinates what he wants to achieve and in what time frame. He is a strategist and is good at representing entry and exit points. The process itself is better known by its subordinates. The task of the manager is to set a real bar for employees, to correctly assess the potential of the company. If there are excuses, deal with them wisely. The simplest thing is to set tasks in a SMART format, which allows employees to achieve the same starting understanding of the task, practically prohibits shifting responsibility in the course of its implementation, “inventing” new performance criteria or shifting deadlines. That is, the SMART format provides for the elimination of "childhood diseases" of management when setting tasks.

It is at the operational or meeting that the manager must specifically provoke the resistance of employees in order to cope with it here and thereby prevent its occurrence in the future. A typical miscalculation in this case is excessive rigidity (interruptions, criticisms, often rudeness as a response to inadequate actions of subordinates) or connivance (talking with subordinates, “persuasion”, disputes). If we do not find a way to test the loyalty of employees at this stage in our presence, then the resistance to completing tasks will increase as we work with them: there will be current work situations, time and resource overheads, friction within the team about motivation and distribution of responsibilities. To prevent this from happening, some need to delegate something, the second need to be motivated, and the third should be assigned strict control from other subordinates. That is, it is necessary to minimize problems at the stage of setting goals.

The second mistake follows from the first: directors often follow the team and, instead of pushing their own own solution, get involved in discussions about what should be done, how to do it, and whether it should be done at all. Many discussions are deliberately bred by subordinates in order to "eat" more working time, and if the manager allows this, this indicates his inability to manage the unit.

But isn't discussion a way to get feedback from subordinates?

To avoid confusion, let's define the concepts. There are meeting formats, the purpose of which is to manage the unit: planning meetings, operational meetings, meetings. They have a goal and an algorithm for achieving the goal. These are concrete tools, like a wrench. They are taught in training. And there are meeting formats, the purpose of which is a collective discussion: brainstorming, discussion, exchange of views. These formats do not have technologies, but a strategy - a common sequence of actions: initial information, goal, collective discussion, summary. Discussion in the process of managing a team is an indicator that the leader has not thought through the task. At "management" planning meetings or meetings, clarifications are acceptable, not discussions.

The common problem of Russian companies in holding meetings is that there is no understanding of this division, this structure. And structure is culture. There are standards everywhere - in sales, in negotiations, in the preparation and execution of documentation, but for some reason there are very often no standards in holding planning meetings, operational meetings and meetings. This "uncivilization" manifests itself even in conceptual apparatus. We call all collective events meetings. And the meeting is actually just one of the possible formats. There is also a glider and an operative.

And what is the difference?

Everything is very simple. A planning meeting is a reminder of what the unit needs to accomplish. Operativka - meeting for permission problem situation. A meeting is held to determine new tasks that need to be solved. This leads to different requirements for the activity of participants. A planning meeting is just a test of mutual understanding, creativity is inappropriate here. The meeting, on the contrary, needs high activity of the participants, and the leader acts more like a moderator.

What will happen if we invite active and creative people to the planning meeting? Or will we invite people who are not capable of making decisions to the meeting? The first will be bored, the second will sit out. And all this is inefficiently spent working time.

Wait, but if we are talking about the fact that the discussions at the meeting are unacceptable, then what kind of creativity and gushing of ideas can there be?

The meeting can be held only if the team has already developed common culture rational use human potential and time for simpler management activities - planning and operative meetings. Then it is possible to achieve an optimal balance between the structuredness of the algorithm for setting tasks and the personal initiative of the meeting participants.

Ideally, it is necessary to invite different employees to the planning meeting, operational meeting and meeting. Selection should be carried out not only according to official status, but also according to activity and business qualities. Most often, this is done as follows: first, a planning meeting is held, all the parties involved in the process under discussion gather for it. If a problem arises, then some people are released, only those who are able to actively participate in resolving the situation remain. If suddenly there is a need to discuss new directions, then it remains completely narrow circle employees and a meeting. Although it doesn't happen that often. The main activity of the company is still planning meetings and operational meetings, and meetings are inherently closer to strategic planning sessions.

The time frame for each format, I suppose, is also different?

Usually, the planning meeting lasts 5-10 minutes, the RAM - up to an hour, the meeting - up to 1.5 hours. It is permissible to carry out all activities one after another. The best time for planning meetings and operative meetings - morning. Meetings are best broken into two parts. In the evening - a planometric part, where the main tasks are announced, and a full-fledged meeting is scheduled in the morning next day so that each participant has time to think. Highly good practice but rarely does that.

What gives the company the use of formats?

As soon as it is settled in people's minds how a planning meeting differs from a meeting, and a meeting from a meeting, they are already able to adequately calculate their strength and, thus, most effectively participate in a collective event.

But the most important thing is that such a structure (planning - operational - meeting) allows you to divide subordinates into groups. She honestly informs people: so far you are only worthy of a planning meeting, you are able to participate in the operational, and you have already grown up to meetings. This allows employees to position each other in the team, because when they work in the same department, there is often no understanding that this specialist is better and this one is worse. And as soon as we determined the circle of participants in planning meetings, operational meetings and meetings, we cut their priorities: which of them to study, and which to teach. As a result, the company hierarchy becomes more transparent.

The second plus from such a cut is that participants in operational meetings and meetings can already be delegated some of the powers, which means saving a large number of time. But since delegation involves solving the whole complex difficult questions associated with additional motivation and transfer of responsibility, it is much easier for managers to hold meetings the old fashioned way than to structure something there.

Any operative and planning meeting is always a translation of the management style that the director professes. According to the estimates given by Sergey Logachev, about 70% of Russian leaders adhere to authoritarianism in relations with their subordinates, which is quite understandable. The conflict management style, when the director is the tsar, and everyone else is a mob, is becoming obsolete, although he still has his adherents, and the democratic style introduced by Western management, Mr. Logachev believes, turns out to be ineffective in the domestic business environment: “People do not responsibility for their work, because they do not hold on to it. Personnel shortage will grow, and this irresponsibility will be produced further.” Therefore, the most appropriate modern conditions of doing business turns out to be an authoritarian style, and it is he who is most often broadcast during meetings.

Does the most common mean the most optimal?

I wouldn't say so. Of course, when the going is tough competitive fight, decisive factor time becomes. And if a company does not start today in one or another segment of the market, tomorrow it may not exist at all. Authoritarian style saves time. But it also shortens the life of the company. How? Authoritarian organizations have more turnover. People change more often, and with them traditions and experience are lost, and in the end the company turns gray, which means it loses. More correct option- flexible management style, when the wishes and capabilities of each employee are taken into account on the basis of a system of rules. Synonyms for the word "flexible" in this context are "constructive", "responsible". A flexible leader means an educated person who applies the acquired knowledge and skills in practice.

Manifestation authoritarian style often becomes non-compliance elementary rules holding a meeting. For example, leaders do not announce the agenda or announce it, but only if you ask yourself, and theses are formulated in a very in general terms and non-specifically.

This is understandable, because any manager also considers the meeting as a way of self-affirmation in the team. But it is also a matter of culture. Any agenda must contain three mandatory element. First, the topic of the meeting. The second is the time, and it is necessary to specify the time not only of the beginning, but also of the end of the event, so that employees can plan their day. If there is no end time, this inevitably means that business processes will be delayed. Why? As Gleb Arkhangelsky rightly says, if a person has the opportunity not to do something, then he will do it last. So because of the meeting, the boundaries of which are indefinite, the whole working day can go down the drain. The third item, which must be on the agenda, is the very format so that employees can calculate their strength. If a person knows the topic, time and format of the deliberative event, his efficiency rises.

And if the leader says: “I am the director and therefore I myself will determine the rules of each of our meetings.” How to be subordinate?

You can take the initiative and offer to hold one of the "science" meetings. At one time I was impressed by such an example. Once I was asked to set up a deliberative process in a company where planning meetings and operative meetings took too much time. They showed a video recording of the meeting: the director, in the presence of 16 tops, solved half the problem for half an hour. I just couldn't watch anymore. I explained to the participants what formats are, what elements they consist of, gave examples and necessary demonstrations, and then each of them formulated a task for himself to solve one or another of his problems. 16 people - 16 tasks. The tasks partly overlapped with the tasks of other departments, so they determined the circle of participants, who would solve these tasks, and the format that they would implement. In addition, the guys had a sense of humor, so they appointed the chief accountant, who has almost zero communication skills, to be the leader of the meeting. And in 15 minutes they solved four problems. Calculate the efficiency! And it's just in technology, in format!

There is such a law of Hendrickson: when a problem requires many meetings, they become more important than the problem itself.

I haven't seen organizations that have too many meetings. And there is only one reason for this: as soon as meetings begin to take up 30-40% of the working time, they become "obscene" in nature. Simply put, people get tired of them, and therefore they begin to be late, miss, sabotage, criticize, and eventually meetings naturally become less. That is, as soon as the number of meetings reaches a critical threshold, people themselves understand: stop, we are doing something wrong. This is a self-regulating process, and no one, even the most demanding boss, is able to reverse it.

Rules for an effective meeting:

• Learn to set tasks for subordinates in the SMART format;
• Conduct a clear selection of meeting participants;
• Minimum discussion. Clarifications are acceptable, not discussions;
• Provoke the resistance of the team at the stage of setting tasks so that there is no sabotage in the process of their implementation;
• Allocate responsibility so that it can be controlled;
• Reward the distinguished and punish the guilty in front of everyone. No decisions behind employees' backs! This is your company, which begins with your information space.

Elena Zholobova