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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Meetings That Get Results summary
Terrence Metz
A Facilitator's Guide to Building Better Meetings
18 mins
Brief summary
'Meetings That Get Results' by Terrence Metz outlines strategies to improve meetings and achieve better outcomes. It provides practical advice on setting objectives, managing time, and optimizing interaction.
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Meetings That Get Results
Summary of 6 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 6
Effective leaders aren’t autocrats – they’re conductors.
Today's world is highly interconnected and diffuse – much more so than it was in the past. This has changed the way we think about leadership and expertise.
Before the industrial age, expertise was localized. A farmer, for example, knew a great deal about a small part of the world – his land. Leaders gathered and preserved such patchwork knowledge, making them stewards. Later, with industrialization, they became managers. They possessed specialized knowledge about the complex technical processes that made the world run and told everyone else what to do.
The digital age is different. Expertise is widely diffused and easy to access, but it can’t be stored in a single library or mind – it’s in the “cloud.”
That’s changed leaders’ roles. They’re no longer in the business of bossing other people around; their job is to help experts work together. In other words, they’re facilitators.
The key message here is: Effective leaders aren’t autocrats – they’re conductors.
The workplace has changed a lot over the last quarter-century.
In the late twentieth century, organizations were rigid hierarchies. At the top was the autocratic manager. His commands were relayed from one subordinate down to the next.
But now the emphasis has shifted: self-managing teams, it turns out, achieve more than individuals carrying out detailed instructions issued from on high.
Leadership is still vital, of course, but the role of leaders has also changed.
They’re no longer expected to micromanage every aspect of work processes. Instead, they facilitate the work of experts and help teams chart their own course toward organizational goals. They delegate for the same reason people go to hairdressers. You could cut your own hair, but the results are better when a professional is handling the scissors. In organizations, the best results come when leaders let the experts – their teams – do the trimming.
Of course, hair salons are much simpler operations than most companies: usually, folks make do with a single stylist. Organizations, by contrast, have to align dozens of teams, departments, and experts.
That alignment happens in meetings, which brings us back to this new breed of leaders. They don’t have all the answers, but they do take command of the questions. A bad meeting is a chaotic free-for-all that leads nowhere – in short, it’s a dissonant mess. A good meeting, on the other hand, is like a harmonious concerto. Individual instruments play their way through a piece with a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Leaders, meanwhile, are like conductors – they guide this collaborative effort.
And that’s the art of facilitation. So how’s it done? Let’s find out!
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What is Meetings That Get Results about?
Meetings That Get Results (2021) is a practical guide to the art of running more effective and efficient meetings. Designed for leaders tasked with facilitating meetings and group discussions, it emphasizes collaborative approaches to decision-making and problem-solving.
Meetings That Get Results Review
Meetings That Get Results (2014) offers valuable insights on how to conduct effective meetings that drive tangible outcomes. Reasons why this book is worth reading:
- Packed with practical strategies and proven techniques, it equips readers with the tools to structure and facilitate meetings that lead to concrete results.
- Supported by research and filled with real-world examples, the book ensures that the principles and approaches discussed are both applicable and reliable.
- Its engaging approach captures the reader's attention, making the topic of meetings surprisingly interesting and providing the motivation to implement the learnings.
Who should read Meetings That Get Results?
- Leaders and organizers
- Tinkerers and optimizers
- Team players
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Meetings That Get Results FAQs
What is the main message of Meetings That Get Results?
The main message of Meetings That Get Results is to have effective and productive meetings that drive real outcomes.
How long does it take to read Meetings That Get Results?
The reading time for Meetings That Get Results varies depending on your reading speed. However, you can read the Blinkist summary in just a few minutes.
Is Meetings That Get Results a good book? Is it worth reading?
Meetings That Get Results is a must-read for anyone who wants to optimize their meetings. It offers practical strategies and insights to make your meetings more efficient.
Who is the author of Meetings That Get Results?
The author of Meetings That Get Results is Terrence Metz.
What to read after Meetings That Get Results?
If you're wondering what to read next after Meetings That Get Results, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Facilitating Breakthrough by Adam Kahane
- Talk Lean by Alan H. Palmer
- Meetings Suck by Cameron Herold
- Critical Thinking by Richard Paul
- The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma
- Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
- Free and Equal by Daniel Chandler
- Secrets of Dynamic Communication by Ken Davis
- TED Talks by Chris Anderson