Retired Gen. Colin Powell provided thoughts on the importance of meetings in his 2012 book with Tony Koltz, It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership. Although not explicit in his musings about the connection of the conduct of meetings with leadership, his meaning is pertinent and emphatic: Meetings have a special importance.
He implies that properly conducted, meetings are key to successful execution of missions, resolution of issues, settlement of disputes, expression of views and so forth. They also can be an effective leadership tool.
The intrinsic leadership value of a meeting lies in the proper utilization of four techniques: attendees, purpose, format and timing.
NCO Advice
Before conducting a meeting, the senior leader should articulate who should attend. Large groups are often unwieldy, so leaders should consider the optimal size and composition of the meeting. One of my first company commanders taught me a valuable lesson I still remember decades later.
As the new commander of the only tank company in South Korea stationed on the Demilitarized Zone, I was anxious to demonstrate my competence to both my soldiers and my chain of command. I gathered my three tank platoon leaders together to plan.
When enemy action appeared imminent, I would attach each tank platoon to a forward-deployed mechanized infantry company. Following this company-level planning session, the platoon leaders would brief their platoon sergeants. The platoon sergeants would brief the tank commanders. This laborious and time-consuming technique was how we conveyed plans from my level as company commander to the tank commanders.
Thankfully, the company first sergeant tactfully approached me with some words of wisdom. He recommended that I brief the platoon leaders and the platoon sergeants simultaneously. The platoon leaders were inexperienced, and the platoon sergeants had demonstrated their competence and built significant trust.
Invite, Involve
Such inclusion became an effective leadership technique that not only ensured the purpose of the meeting was accomplished, but also enabled the experienced NCOs to deftly mentor their lieutenants.
We discovered additional benefits that included a clear understanding of my intent, greater trust within the company and a reduced risk of tactical problems when the tank platoons joined their mechanized infantry companies along the DMZ.
The lesson I took away from the first sergeant’s intervention was a basic leadership technique: Pay attention to who attends the meeting, and be discreet about who is invited. At the same time, I was reminded that meetings involve all participants. They are not just discussions limited to two individuals.
Clear Purpose
The meeting must have a clearly stated and understood purpose. This is especially important for personnel from U.S. Army Reserve and Army National Guard units who might have to travel significant distances to attend a meeting. It becomes costly for attendees from those components not only financially (for which they may not be compensated), but timewise. Reserve and National Guard attendees must balance their Army time with their civilian occupations. Commanders of these units must ensure that every participant helps meet the desired end state for that meeting.
I served under a commander in the Army Reserve who found it necessary to invite select leaders to a meeting that preceded the monthly unit assembly. The stated purpose of this meeting was to discuss the unit’s weekend activities. Unfortunately, these meetings did not have a format or time limit. They were often unfocused and quickly degenerated into lengthy discussions. It did not take long for attendees to tune out the commander. This pre-meeting was unproductive and an example of ineffective leadership.
An understood format, time limit and desired outputs would have prevented this pre-meeting from becoming a meandering discussion. It could have been a positive experience that enabled senior leaders to effectively prepare for the monthly unit assembly.
Business at Hand
When I assumed command of a brigade-sized unit, we implemented measures to run productive meetings. After ensuring that the correct and necessary personnel were in attendance, either in person or remotely, I conducted a three-phase meeting limited to a specific time period, depending on the matters to be discussed.
First, we discussed the business that concerned every participant. There were no one-on-one discussions with the commander during the group meeting. If a leader wanted to address a certain matter that concerned them alone, we held that discussion individually, before or after the group meeting. I did not allow the group meeting to become a platform for individual discourse not pertinent to everyone present.
In the first phase of the group meeting, I stated the purpose, my goals for the meeting and that responses were due from the staff. For clarity’s sake, this phase was short and to the point. I turned the meeting over to the unit executive officer and left. The executive officer then executed the second phase of the meeting in my absence.
During Phase 2, the executive officer assigned the staff tasks while giving his own clear, empowering guidance. The executive officer focused his guidance and discussion on items impacting the organization or most of the staff. Given the time constraints imposed by me, the executive officer prioritized his guidance and focused the discussion until my return to the meeting.
I returned to the meeting for the third phase. The executive officer briefed me about staff actions and recommendations on matters I had specified in the first phase. I listened to staff recommendations, made necessary decisions, answered pertinent questions and directed unresolved matters to be further investigated.
The staff meeting’s format was focused and limited in scope. Time constraints forced prioritization and discouraged off-subject ramblings. Matters involving individual concerns were addressed outside the format of the meeting. This allowed for in-depth discussions between individual leaders and the commander or executive officer without wasting the entire organization’s time.
Valuable Tools
These musings on meetings and effective leadership techniques are not earth-shattering. Yet, it is too easy to go astray in addressing the proper utilization of soldiers’ time. Misusing soldiers’ time can discourage and disillusion them.
It is incumbent upon commanders to make their meetings valuable leadership tools through the proper utilization of appropriate techniques. Designate the appropriate participants, establish a specific purpose, set a prioritized format and do not waste your soldiers’ time. If such techniques worked for Powell, they can work for other leaders as well. Indeed, they worked for me.
Brig. Gen. Raymond Bell Jr., U.S. Army retired, is a military writer based in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. He served more than 30 years in the U.S. Army, the New York Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring from the Reserve in 1989 as commanding general of the 220th Military Police Brigade, Maryland. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York. He holds a doctorate in Eastern European history from New York University.