The real agenda of your team meetings
Warming hands by the fire.
Unravelling the hidden dynamics that hinder team alignment and progress
Do you ever feel like you’re going around in circles in your team meetings, have a hard time aligning, and not getting done the things on your agenda? Are you coming out of your meetings frustrated because you once again got stuck in a vortex of disorientation and indecision with no plan in sight to move things forward?
There might be many reasons you’re in the vortex, but one I see often is the productivity myth of “we don’t have time for the touchy-feely stuff; we’ve got work to do!”
Myth-busting moment: the touchy-feely stuff IS THE WORK! Alignment in teams doesn’t just happen by itself. It’s grown out of strong, trusting relationships.
When trust is lacking within a team, individuals tend to protect their own interests and defend their viewpoints during discussions. This can lead to an impasse, a never-ending back-and-forth, and a frustrating cycle of going around in circles - something I call the disorientation vortex. It literally feels like zoning out or getting over-activated in a meeting and not being able to make sense of things or find an orientation point. Consequently, emerging from these confusion vortex meetings feeling drained, with no resolution, commitment, or action plan.
There might be many underlying causes for the vortex. One I see very often is that leaders don’t make space for the “real agenda” of their team meetings. Yes, there might be solutions to discuss, decisions to make, and action plans to commit to. But there are also emotional states to take care of. And those are the ones that you need to make space for. I often see that emotions are marginalised at work, especially difficult ones. The problem with marginalising emotions is that when they’re not welcome in the open, they go “underground” and disrupt your team dynamics from a hidden place. There they can get disruptive, drive everyone mad and leave you wondering what the F… is going on. This is one of the most prominent patterns I’m observing as a systems coach, and I love bringing these patterns into the light, where they can be shifted.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate.”
– C.G. Jung.
You can also take the first step to help your team dynamics flow, and it’s actually really simple (even though it can also be challenging).
Next time, before you start your meeting, spend some time with everyone to really connect: look everyone in the eye and get present together. Talk about the things that people are feeling or ruminating on. Whether you talk about it or now, people are energetically bringing into your joint space.
This is why taking care of the emotional agenda of your team is so important: it will lay the foundation for trust and a free flow of energy in your meetings. A check- is not merely a lighthearted, fun activity; it can literally change the trajectory of your meeting. And it’s also not reserved only for the start of the meeting, but when you feel energy shifts during your meeting, you can ask: