The Complaint

A frequent grievance I hear in my coaching calls is that there are too many meetings, especially during compression season. It is so tempting to limit, reduce or eliminate some important interactions until the season’s over. But life doesn’t come to a halt because of busy season. You still shower and brush your teeth, regardless of the month. Essential disciplines and routines may adjust, but shouldn’t stop.

For instance, it’s tempting to reduce one-on-one calls to merely job status discussions and eliminate team meetings altogether. If these gatherings are important in slower times, they are important in busier times.

Being human, we need regular attention to feed our motivation, to encourage us when we struggle, and support us when we falter. As leaders, we must account for the fact that we lead human beings, not human doings. I’ve never heard of a great leader who removed him/herself from their troops in battle. Leaders are present.

The Solution

When you meet, make sure that you pay attention to your people.

• Help them to see their job as career-expanding work rather than “have to do” work. Talk about the skills are they learning, being reinforced or expanded.
• Celebrate successes together for getting through a complex project, a large volume of work or meeting a hard deadline. It confirms an “all in” attitude from everyone.
• Giving quality and timely feedback instead of waiting until…whenever. Learning happens best in the moment. Your staff don’t like to feel forgotten or ignored.

Regardless of your title or position, you can play a leader role by bringing a positive attitude, focused energy and honest effort. We all share in protecting the mental health of the whole team, not just manager to staff. It is reassuring to the manager that people are doing ok and moving forward, just as the manager gives confidence and direction to the staff.

The Action

In your attempts to be efficient, avoid the temptation of removing the elements that reinforce human interaction. When Socrates wrote, “Beware the barrenness of a busy life,” he alluded to the fact that you can be so busy working that you remove the ingredients that make the work satisfying.

What interactions should you renew in your meetings and calls this week? Managers, ask your staff. Staff, tell your managers. We’re all in this together.