Meaningful meetings. Sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it?
It seems now that meetings are a natural part of life and along with that, avoiding them. But just because they are unavoidable, must they be meaningless? Here are 3 ways to make your next meeting meaningful.
What do you feel when you hear the word “meeting?” I bet nothing too positive…
Talking with my friends about their work meetings, it seems that they’re often…
- Required to be present but have no say or aren’t taken seriously.
- Talking about nothing and going around in circles.
- Planning for something unimportant
There are probably more that I’m unaware of but these seem to be the big 3.
Not all meetings are meaningless however. Meaningful meetings are possible!
Though fictional and extreme, take for example these meetings when:
– The Fellowship of the Ring is first formed.
– George Clooney and Brad Pitt in Oceans 11 plan their heist.
– Tom Cruise in briefed on an impossible mission.
Meaningful meetings have…
1) Partners
Nobody likes to feel insignificant and unimportant. When we are in a meeting where our voice does not matter, we are not a member of the team but rather a cog in the wheel. And who in history has wanted to be a cog in the wheel? Meaningful meetings don’t only have other people in the room, but partners. People who values, listens to and empowers each other.
You need partners need to feel they belong.
2) Possible-Impossible Mission
Nobody wants to do anything if there’s no point to it. The point could be making tons of money, relieving poverty, or having fun. Meaningful meetings have a clear a mission that is both possible and impossible. Meaningful meetings are realistic yet idealistic.
Your partners need to believe in the mission.
3) Plan
However just because there is a mission doesn’t mean it will feel meaningful. There are a lot of things that are possible but not necessarily probable. Meaningful missions need a coherent and logical plan.
Your Possible-Impossible Mission needs to be broken down into simple plan with simple steps.
Whether you want get back at Andy Garcia or bring peace to Middle Earth, meaningful meetings have a strong partnership, a possible-impossible mission, and a plan.
I used to meet with 2 of my college friends every Wednesday night for a season of speculating, dreaming and going on light night Mcy Dee’s runs. We’d talk about Chris Gulliebeau and the $100 Start Up, and Tim Ferris and the 4-Hour Work Week (2 great fuel sources for your every happiness hustler).
Did any of us quit our day jobs, get super rich, and retire? Nope.
Was it some of the best nights of my life? Most definitely.
In my book Being is Greater than Doing, I suggest that living the good life requires relying on relationship: having meaningful meetings.
As much as we want meaningful meetings at work, we need meaningful meetings in life much more so. We need opportunities to get together with trusted and encouraging friends to dream about, complain about and plan for this confusing but good thing we call life.
We’re all trying to make it in life. Hustling the ways we know how to happiness.
But life takes work. One could argue it is work. How much more then do we need meaningful meetings for our lives?
We don’t need more meetings, we all know that.
What we need are meaningful meetings.
Form your fellowship and have some meaningful meetings this week.
Who are 2 people that share your perspective of life and could get together with you to dream, encourage and plan together? Text them to hang out!
