Why You Should Hold One More Meeting

If you are completely happy with where you and your business currently are then you can stop here. If growth and change aren't something you have any interest in, there is no need for you to read any further.

I'm serious. You can move on.

But if you do think there are new opportunities to explore, if you do think that there are ways to improve your results, then read on. I'm going to show you how scheduling a new meeting periodically can help make that happen.

That's right, a meeting.

The Idea Meeting

An idea meeting is a meeting that exists to create, stimulate, encourage and honor ideas. Its entire purpose is to identify and consider new ideas. It is based on the concept that ideas are the seeds of all growth and that without growth, organizations will fail to reach their potential.

You've likely been in versions of an idea meeting. You've called them problem solving meetings. A problem has been identified and a group gets together to brainstorm possible solutions to the problem. Ideas are generated, possible solutions considered, and hopefully this effort leads to a solved problem.

Problem solving meetings are important and valuable, and while they share some lineage with an idea meeting, they aren't the same. You see, problem solving meetings are reactive, but idea meetings are proactive.

Where Do They Work?

Idea meetings can work in any sort of organization from the multi-national Fortune 500 mega-firm to a two person company. They will work in marketing, manufacturing, product teams, projects teams, finance and HR. They will work in civic organizations and church groups. Anyplace where people understand and care about the goals of the organization, idea meetings can be extremely valuable.

The Format

The format of an idea meeting can change based on the number of people in attendance and the specific focus. Sometimes you might want to generate ideas related to one specific objective or strategy. Other times you might want the meeting to be completely open. In either case, let people know about the idea meeting at least a couple of days ahead of time. Suggest that they be thinking about their ideas and writing them down to share in the meeting.

Keys to Success

There are several ingredients to successful idea meetings. They include:

? Common understanding. Idea meetings work best when people understand where the organization is going. Since the goal is to create new ideas to help the organization improve and grow, people need to know the basic strategies and objectives that are in place. While some idea meetings might lead to questions about these strategies, for the most part the idea meeting is meant to create ways to reach the objectives sooner.

? Open minds. Idea meetings are totally creative affairs. Because of that it is important that all ideas be honored, captured and discussed later. As with any creative process, negativity and cynicism need to be checked at the door.

? Search for singles. Often times people don't want to share their idea unless it is either a blockbuster home run idea or is completely formed and ready for implementation. Both are mistakes. An idea meeting may lead to a home run, but what you want to search for are lots of small incremental improvements or new things to try. Encourage people to bring ideas from things they are reading, have heard about or can adapt from some other organization. The idea meeting will score more runs for you if you keep searching for singles and let the home runs come when they come.

? Keep a list. All ideas should be written down and saved. Sometimes an idea can't be implemented now but might be able to be later. By keeping a catalog of the ideas they won't be lost. The bonus is that often by reading over this idea list in the future, brand new connections and ideas will be sparked.

? Leave with a plan. Idea meetings create ideas, but without action you will create more frustration than improvement. Pick one or two ideas that can be implemented, set up a plan and take action. Never leave an idea meeting without clear next steps and accountability.

Summary

Idea meetings can be an important part of your organizations ongoing improvement process. Take the concepts shared in this article and adapt them for your situation. When you do that the next thing you will see is greater success.

Go ahead, call a meeting.

Kevin is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on "Unleashing Your Potential" go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

---

Making a Decision to Outsource: Driving Factors

Most executives view offshore outsourcing most of all as a source of cost reducing. The greatest savings are expected to come from lower labor cost and reduced... Read More

One Thing You Cant Hide

One of the most important of all motivators at work is consideration. Employees report that the best managers they ever had were people who cared about them... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management: Goal Setting

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Innovation Management ? Rigorous data analysis

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Interviewing: How to Stay Out of legal Hot Water

Some interviewers ask great questions; others ask dumb questions; and, worst of all, some ask questions that can get them into legal hot water.Every recruiter, hiring manager,... Read More

Is Your Brain Getting the Memory Full Message? 5 Ways to Free Up Room on Your Brains Hard Drive

Lynn was tapped to head up the project team for a major company restructuring. She began her first team meeting by delegating steps and due dates to... Read More

Use QA As Your First Step To Outsourcing

Quality Assurance, or QA, is often given short shrift in a software development organization, especially when budgets are tight. When debating the software development budget at one... Read More

Implementing Change

There are different reactions that individuals experience during time of change. Understanding the emotions of an individual may better help them get through the period of unexpected... Read More

Productive Meetings: How to Make Your Meetings More Productive

There's one simple secret to effective meetings: set an agenda and stick to it. The agenda drives the content and outcomes of the meeting and, where appropriate,... Read More

Dont Get Caught With Your PR Down

Why risk the embarassment when with a little basic PR training, you as a business, non-profit or association manager can always be ready for battle?Never again will... Read More

How to Attract and Retain the Right People

If you're one of the many executives struggling with finding and keeping the right people to propel your business forward, you'll find these insights helpful.If you're frustrated... Read More

Pitching to Employees

The senior flight attendant on the WestJet flight was starting the routine safety talk: the bit about flotation vests and emergency exits that we ignore at the... Read More

The Changing Boss-Secretary Relationship

THE CHANGING BOSS-SECRETARY RELATIONSHIP: Imagine a partnership at work. One member is outlining the agenda for the annual stockholders' meeting, the other is managing the logistics. The... Read More

Learn About Commercial Collections Agencies Fees

As with any other service, there are good and bad commercial collection agencies. Beware of any agency that offers you cut rate commissions far below the accepted... Read More

Managing Client Relationships

Managing Client Relationships: Even the best run organizations occasionally run into difficult situations with clients, consultants, and vendors. Often times it is not just a business process... Read More

Give Yourself a Boss Day Gift, Part 2: Are You the Position or the Person?

Are you the position or the person?Bosses can lose their own identity sometimes. It's easy. It happens a lot. The results are devastating to both the workers... Read More

A Tricky Supervision Challenge

Many managers believe that treating their team members as responsible adults will assure excellent results. The truth is that while this usually is effective, some people need... Read More

The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Competitive, Not Complementary Action

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.Competitive, Not Complementary ActionJames Carville and Mary Matlin are public relations... Read More

The DNA of Motivation

It really is about motivation. After all, what impels someone to climb a mountain, or go to college, or save for a car, or learn a new... Read More

Toxic Bosses

What's everyone's favorite topic around the water cooler? Bad bosses! You know, the ones who make life in the office unbearable? Here are some of the more... Read More

Collaboration: 3 Keys to Keeping Your Documents from Getting Lost in the Shuffle

Often, collaborating documents in a team or in a business can feel like a complex sports play gone wrong. The ball gets passed off to the wrong... Read More

Faith is the LIFE-blood of Your ACTIONS before the Benefit -

Nothing has changed. Your ancestors lived by faith. Some planted crops and waited for the harvest. Others worked for the "boss" and by faith expected pay for... Read More

Have You Fixed the Broken Window?

Left alone it doesn't take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Fixing problems when they... Read More

Project Management - Its Just A Button

I once worked with a developer who showed up at every product demo and constantly suggested improvements for the product. Don't get me wrong. Feedback is important... Read More

Change Management

"It is not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change". -Charles DarwinThe world today is changing faster than ever... Read More

The Retailers Calendar

The Julian calendar we use to pass the time every day, every week, every month and every year is the one most commonly used by businesses. Its... Read More