The search for positive feedback from meetings

Nature over time has created an effective and efficient interoperability. Without insects, flowers would not be pollinated, fruit would not grow and the future of these species would be in doubt.

In the business world, we need this level of connectivity, or expect it and more often than not assume it. We build teams, plan meetings and activities and pretty much assume that this is all automatically universally understood and absorbed.

Under the Covid19 restrictions, I see people sitting in more and more meetings, all from home, where we are surrounded by distractions (family issues, bored kids, noise, the broken dishwasher, the list never ends), however all those meetings (I had five yesterday) we are expected to maintain 100% focus. The formats are dull, unimaginative and often pointless or even worse, aimless! Then we are expected to act on them. It’s insanity at times.

Connections must be efficient and effective, otherwise they should be cut. This sounds easy, but often not. I have meetings on in the background as I continue to work now as they track the telephone numbers of those dialling in.

At the start of this Covid journey, I got it. A strange situation, people working from home, we needed to keep an eye on each others mental health, make sure everyone was engaged. The perils of isolation were identified early on.

You need an element of trust towards your work force. The flower doesn’t complain or sulk when a bee passes by without stopping. Another bee from the hive has or will pick up the nectar…

I mean that meetings are not the only way to communicate, there are more effective methods for certain things.

If any of your have your own Covid meeting stories, I’d love to hear them.