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Meetings

I've always, and I do mean always, had an aversion to meetings.  If we don't have a clear task to accomplish or To-Do items coming out of the discussion they are a waste of time, since it's likely a discussion best convened between two or three people, not all meeting attendees.

Then I came across Tony Morgan's review of The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive by Patrick Lencioni.  One of the quotes he mentions is this.

For cohesive teams, meetings are compelling and vital. They are forums for asking difficult questions, challenging one another's ideas, and ultimately arriving at decisions that everyone agrees to support and adhere to, in the best interests of the company.

I can't tell you how much this resonated with me.

Over the past year I worked on a project team of four people.  I can say, without a doubt, that this was the best team I've ever worked with in my working career.  We could meet for 2 to 4 hours straight, work together or on our own, joke about how I thought the vet in Sesame Street was cute and they found her and said she looks like a witch.

Through it all though we got things done.

This quote put into words incredibly well the feelings I still have remembering that team experience.

Any teams you lead, and as I begin to take on the leadership of Eucharistic Ministers, Acolytes and such in my church, I plan on making this a reality.  If our meetings are dull, slow or passionless than we'll be working on some serious friendship building.

I definitely have this book on my Amazon Wishlist.

What meetings and teams have you worked with that you'll never forget?  What made them so memorable?

Peace,
+Tom

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