Groupthink
Have you ever had an un-meeting of the minds?
When was the last time you and your team spent time just thinking – together? When did you get out of the office and sit around for a day, or even two, mulling things over?
I don’t mean playing golf or climbing a ropes course. Just hanging out – in a hotel or someone’s backyard. Examining where you’ve been and where you’d like to go. And maybe how you might get there.
When was your last groupthink?
Take a day every three months. Or 2 days twice a year. Spend enough time to really get into it. What is your vision? Is it still valid? What strategy have you been pursuing? Is it paying off? Should you revamp the whole thing?
What are you goals? Have you reached any of them? Are you on track to reach any others? Should you be thinking of new, more attainable goals?
During your groupthink, make sure that everyone has a chance to speak freely and without interruption. Make sure to write down everyone’s ideas and then discuss those that are shared collectively by the group.
Ask yourselves some of the following questions. Make sure you get good answers. Encourage everyone’s participation. Don’t let people hide out.
What have you been trying to accomplish?
What have you been doing that works?
What have you been doing that doesn’t work?
What is missing from what you are doing?
What do you want to do next?
What will it take that you don’t already have?
What is the plan for getting to the next stage?
Who is going to do what?
Who will be responsible for what?
Meetings are set to achieve pre-defined goals. Un-meetings are set to decide what the goals should be. Meetings are tolerated. Un-meetings are celebrated.
Take a leap forward. Have an un-meeting.
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