How To Run A Meeting

Susan Adams, 10.06.10, 01:00 PM EDT

A medical school dean offers expert tips on dealing with long-winded colleagues, agenda-hijackers and other plagues of the business meeting.

In Pictures: How To Run A Meeting

Dr. Nadine Katz goes to a lot of meetings. Some of them last so long the participants have to order in food or switch rooms.

About eight years ago Katz, who is senior associate dean, professor and director of medical education in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and women's health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, decided she'd try to figure out how to make those endless meetings more efficient.

In Pictures: How To Run A Meeting

Her study produced great results at Einstein. Though she doesn't like to toot her own horn--"I'm turning crimson right now," she says when asked how her meeting style has helped her career--she has improved a slew of committee conclaves at her institution.

Three years ago she was promoted to associate dean, and more recently she became senior associate dean. "You never know who's going to be in the room, and who might be considering you for another opportunity," she allows. She even speaks to physicians' professional associations about how to improve meetings.

Katz's approach applies to meetings everywhere. Her tips go beyond the standard meeting advice, which pretty much comes down to starting and ending on time, setting an agenda and sticking to it.

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Katz says it's always smart to lay out what she calls "norms," codes of meeting conduct, at the outset, particularly when a group will be holding a series of gatherings. How does the group respond, for instance, when participants come in late? What if some attendees haven't done their homework ahead of time? What about meeting hijackers, who try to grab the stage and steer the agenda in their own direction? Katz notes that this can be especially problematic when the latecomer or hijacker is a senior manager and the meeting leader is a junior staffer. If everyone understands the rules going in, such troublemakers are easier to rein in.Her No. 1 recommendation: Prepare, prepare and prepare some more. Not only does she lay out in advance a detailed agenda for a meeting and touch base with the participants to alert them to important points, she also surveys the physical space where the meeting will be held--down to details like the room temperature and whether there might be a flickering fluorescent light bulb. "I am someone who believes in overly preparing," she admits. When ordering refreshments, she even checks on individual taste. "If someone likes Tab, we order Tab," she says. Small amenities like that can help participants feel welcome and eager to participate.

When it comes to hijackers who don't obey the rules, Katz suggests the leader say something like, "Thank you for bringing up this issue. It's clearly important. I'd like to check with the committee whether it's OK if we table that point until we finish with the other items on our agenda."

Sometimes a hijacker tries to physically displace the meeting leader, pulling his seat up and pushing the leader off to the side. Katz notes that, especially for women leaders, it's smart to take the seat at the head of the table to command a position of authority.

That said, there are times when it makes more sense for the leader to sit in the middle of the group. Katz points to a twice-monthly operations meeting she attends, where the leader chooses not to sit at the head of the table. That puts the participants at ease, she says, and it once led to a savings of $25,000, when a meeting attendee who might not otherwise have piped up alerted the leader to an impending renovation that affected trash storage. If the person hadn't felt comfortable speaking, a structure would have been built that would soon have had to be demolished at undue cost.

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What does Katz advise about long-winded colleagues who can't for the life of them summarize their points? Wait until they take a breath, she suggests, and then jump in. Summarize their point and say, "You've brought up some important issues. I'd like to ask the group if we would like to continue with your point now, or put it at the top of the agenda for the next meeting." That way the bloviator feels he's been heard. You're taking his point seriously. Bringing in the group helps get the meeting back on track without making the leader seem overbearing.

"You must never lose control of your meeting," Katz concludes. "If you start to, you've got to wrestle it back. Remind everyone that you've got an agenda planned."

The Third Opinion

A Brain Scientist Explains Leadership

Saj-nicole Joni, 10.07.10, 01:30 PM EDT

Neurobiology helps tell us why executives screw up--and what they do to avoid it.

Helen Fisher

More From Saj-nicole Joni

While it's not clear just how many different ways the once-praised Mark Hurd may have blown it atHewlett-Packard, blow it he most scandalously did. Flying high, undone by his own bravado, he fell Icarus-like to Earth. And he is hardly alone. In the past few months we've seen other stunning departures including those of Tony Hayward from BP and Colleen Goggins from Johnson & Johnson.

How can high-flying leaders keep from crashing? After all, not every leader plummets. What insight can recent advances in science offer to boards and executives who want their most important people to win, not flame out? For answers, I sought out Dr. Helen Fisher, a Rutgers University biological anthropologist whose research delves into brain chemistry. I asked her what brain science has to say about the risks of bad judgment at the top--and what steps executives can take to fend off disaster.

Can you briefly explain the connection between brain chemistry and personality?

Basically, your personality consists of your character, which includes traits acquired through your experiences, and your temperament, which is traits arising from your biology. I think we have evolved four primary types of biological temperament, each associated with a range of traits. The personality type that I call the "Explorer" is primarily expressive of dopamine; what I call the "Director" is expressive of testosterone, the "Builder" is expressive of serotonin, and the "Negotiator" is expressive of estrogen and oxytocin. All these temperament types are found in both men and women and in every culture and race. I suspect that the leaders at the highest risk of making really dumb mistakes have a strong mix of Director and Explorer traits.

Why? What happens in the brain to put Director-Explorers at risk?

Director-Explorers tend to be daring, direct, decisive, analytical, strategic, independent, tough-minded, focused and assertive--characteristics that make them candidates to become chief executive officers. They are more demanding and often less empathetic than others. This is an expression of their testosterone and dopamine temperaments.

When people win--in the office, in sports or, for example, at chess--testosterone is released. With repeated wins, the additional testosterone often triggers the dopamine system, which characterizes Explorers. This increases creativity and energy, but it also heightens risk-taking and novelty-seeking.It's important to note that, contrary to early thinking, testosterone can play a large role in women's chemistry, not just men's. There are plenty of successful women who share the Director-Explorer temperament--for example, Hurd's predecessor, Carly Fiorina; Martha Stewart, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton all spring to mind.

And certainly the bubble-like environment that encases top executives doesn't help. If you're surrounded by sycophants and have all the money in the world, sooner or later you'll begin to think you're infallible. To make matters worse, a new force steps in: habit. As you get used to breaking the rules, you become desensitized to your own inappropriate behavior. Some CEOs even seem shocked when they're caught, because their behavior has become so habitual.

So you're saying that at a biological level, winning spurs you on to even greater creativity and drive--but over time big wins and heightened success also trigger a type of brain chemistry that can make you vulnerable. You can miss the big picture, including external warning signals that your ideas and choices may be leading you into trouble.

Yes, especially if you're a leader who exhibits the Director-Explorer temperament.

But people are not helpless in the face of their own biology. I've worked with many top executives who share the characteristics you describe, but they don't get into trouble, in part because they have built very effective inner circles. They have key people who help them to pause, reflect and face reality, even when doing so is unpleasant or even painful.

That's excellent. I think executives should always work with someone like Shakespeare's wise fool: a truly informed, neutral referee whose judgment they respect and who has both the courage and the permission to tell it like it is.

You are also correct that we are not slaves to our biology. We are not puppets on a string of DNA. We can and do break bad habits. Thanks to neuroplasticity, our brains are always changing. Think about the alcoholic who stops drinking. Over time, in the absence of alcohol, new neural pathways form, and the brain rebuilds itself. So as you become more powerful, you need to be very thoughtful about what neural pathways you build and reinforce. Your temperament will send you one way, but that's not your only option.

Leaders such as Doug Conant at Campbell, Indra Nooyiat PepsiCo ( PEP - news - people ) and Bayer's ( BAY -news - people ) former CEO Rolf Classon constantly expand their curiosity, improve their comportment and refuse to get lost in the bubble. You are suggesting that they are building more than strong character--they are also building better leadership brains. And that this has the potential to determine the top players who will win and sustain, not flame out. What suggestions would you have for leaders who want to do likewise?

In the end, the most important thing for executives to remember is this: The sooner you start building a better brain, knowing what biology has dealt you, the more likely you are to lead to your fullest capacity and sustain that leadership over time. Your company and your community are counting on you.First, prepare yourself before your bad habits separate you from reality, by learning about your own natural assets, temperament and vulnerabilities. Second, seek to balance your achievements with a look at your failures. Third, always have a plan to develop new range in your work. Fourth, ask your employees to send you anonymous comments about your behavior. And finally, ground yourself regularly, with exercise and meditation, or with direct service, like spending time each month quietly serving in a soup kitchen. Be clear that you are doing the latter not for the sake of a photo op but for the sake of your brain and your capacity to lead.

Saj-nicole Joni, chief executive of Cambridge International Group, is a confidential advisor to CEOs and top executives worldwide. Her most recent book is The Right Fight, co-authored with Damon Beyer (HarperCollins, 2010). Read more from Saj-nicole Joni here.

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F-18 Carrier Landing Nuances

The biggest mistake people make with landing on a carrier is using the pitch to control glideslope and power to control speed. This will only result in you landing in an incorrect aoa and speed. The proper technique is to use POWER to control glideslope and PITCH to control speed (or more accurately: AOA). What this means is that in a perfect world once you are set-up and start your approach, the stick should be relatively still with only small movements left and right to correct line-up (since you you should be trimmed "on-speed"). This is an ideal situation. In reality you will need to make SMALL adjustments to pitch as well. Power, on the other hand, should be moving CONSTANTLY. The throttle should not be in the same position for more that 2 seconds. This does not mean to go back and forth between idle and burner, it simply means that you should be constanly making adjustments. If you have ever heard a real Navy jet landing, you know how often power is being adjusted. According to this technique the proper situation remedies are:

Situation: High on glideslope
Remedy: Reduce power

Stiuation: Low on Glideslope
Remedy: Increase power

Situation: Fast (low aoa)
Remedy: Increase pitch

Situation: Slow (high aoa)
Remedy: Decrease pitch

It's imprtant to note here that this is a VERY simplistic view. In reality, every control input has a primary and seconday effect. If, for example, on approach you decrease pitch, the primay effect will be an increase in speed and a reduction in aoa. However, a secondary effect will be a slight increse in rate of decent. By the same token, if you get high and make the proper correction of reducing power, the primary effect will be a noticable increase in rate of decent, while the less noticable secondary effect will be a slight decrease in speed and increase of aoa. The point is to remember that all of your inputs are intertwined, but, primarily we use power for glideslope and pitch for aoa. That said, let's talk about the appraoch.

Get set up about 5 miles behind the boat at 1000 ft. Slow to 150kts while dropping the gear, flaps and hook. If you need to use your speedbrake make sure it is retracted by 3 miles so you can fly a stablized approach. While setting up for the approach you should be in the virtual cockpit so that you can see the aoa indexer. Continue to fly toward the boat level at 1000 ft. 

At about 3 miles reduce power slightly and slowly pitch up to maintain altitude while watching the indexer. As you get an "orange donut", hold your pitch and increase power to maintain altitude. This is where the throttle hand will start to get it's work-out and is also the point where power will control altitude/glideslope and pitch will control speed/aoa. As you do this, note the speed that gets you that "orange donut" (for this discussion we'll say that its 126kts) and trim the airplane. Remember, once an airplane is trimmed for a certain speed, it will maintain that speed as long configuration is not changed. So, if you are trimmed for 126kts and add power you will simply climb at 126kts, and if you reduce power you will decend at 126kts. Keep making power adjustments to hold altitude (for this discussion we'll say that the throttle is moving between 50-55% of its range to hold altitude).

At this point you will start to be able to see the ball which will be low and probably flashing the wave-off lights. Your scan at this point is: ball, line-up, aoa. As you approach 1 mile the ball will begin to come up to its center position. Now, this is important if you want to get aboard and holds even more true in real life: once on glideslope NEVER ALLOW THE BALL TO GO LOW. If it does go low add power to get it above center immediately. Then you can ease it back down to center. A bolter, while embarresing, is a lot better than a ramp strike.

Just as the ball centers, reduce power slightly to start down (now we'll say the throttle is moving between 45-50% of its range to hold glideslope). Keep the scan of ball, line-up, aoa. Once on glideslope, make any final pitch adustments to keep an orange donut and again note the speed. It should be the same speed as when you were level, so you should already be trimmed for it and it should still be 126kts.

At 3/4 mile switch to the 2D cockpit (HUD only). In real life, you simply use the indexer for speed and nothing else. However, in Flight Simulator, the only way to see the indexer is in the virtual cockpit which limits and obstructs your outside view. This is why you note the speed which gets you a donut. Speed now replaces aoa in the scan and your scan becomes: ball, line-up, speed. If the speed goes to 125 reduce pitch slightly to get it back to 126. If the speed goes to 127, increase pitch slightly. If the ball goes high, reduce power slightly, and then once you are back on glideslope increase power again. As stated before, if you get low add power now and get back above glideslope. Then ease it back down onto glideslope.

As you get in close, about 1/4 mile, you are trimmed on-speed so no further pitch adjustments should be needed. Your scan now becomes: ball, line-up.

As you cross the ramp, your line-up should be good (if you you have held it), and no further line-up corrections should be needed. The only thing you are looking at now is the ball. Fly it all the way to touchdown and you should trap a 3-wire. Another huge mistake people make is the desire to see the wires at touchdown. Remember that the hook is 50ft behind you and it should touchdown right in the middle of the wires to catch the 3rd. To do this the wires should disappear beneath you before you touchdown. Any pilot will want as much runway in front of them as possible when they land, but you have to get rid of that desire if you're trapping on a ship.

Another habit people have is the tendancy to flare at touchdown. DON'T. What will happen is the hook will snag a wire while you are pitching up and the force of the trap will slam the nose wheel down. Similarly, people tend to cut power as they cross the ramp. Once again, don't. Your rate of decent will increase rapidly and you'll slam onto the ship. Keep making power adjustments all the way to touchdown, then when you do hit, go to military power. The primary goal in a carrier approach is to keep the airplane at the exact same speed and attitude all the way to touchdown.

Marine Corps Leadership Traits

US Marine Corps Leadership Traits

1.      BEARING.  Bearing is general appearance, carriage, deportment and conduct.  This  is the ability to look, act, and speak like a leader.  It is an essential element in a leader's effectiveness and should be cultivated by maintaining impeccable personal appearance, avoiding profane or vulgar language, keeping your word, holding your temper, speaking clearly and walking erect.

2.      COURAGE.  Courage is that which enables recognition and fear of danger or criticism, while still allowing calm and firm action.  It exists in a moral, as well as physical sense.  Moral courage means knowing what is right and standing up for it in the face of popular disfavor.  When a leader is wrong, he accepts the blame.

3.      DECISIVENESS.  The leader should be able to make decisions promptly and to state them in a clear, forceful manner.  The wise leader gets all the facts, weighs one against the other, then calmly and quickly arrives at the best decision.  Decisiveness is largely a matter of practice and experience growing out of self-confidence and competence.  The leader keeps in mind that many solid ideas originate at a subordinate level.  Thus, opinions are solicited from subordinates when appropriate.

4.      DEPENDABILITY.  Dependability is the certainty of proper performance of duty.  It is a quality that permits a senior to assign a task with the understanding  that it will be accomplished with minimum supervision and maximum use of initiative.  It includes the willing and voluntary support of the policies and orders of the chain of command, but does not mean blind obedience. Commanders should listen to suggestions from their subordinates, but once the final decision has been made, subordinates must give it their best effort in an attempt to achieve the highest standards of performance while subordinating personal interest to military requirements.

5.      ENDURANCE.  Endurance is akin to courage.  It is the mental and physical stamina which is measured by the ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress, and hardship.  Since subordinates may view a lack of endurance in a combat situation as cowardice, the leader must display an acceptable, if not superior, level of endurance.  Endurance and stamina should be developed by regular participation in strenuous physical and mental activities.

6.      ENTHUSIASM.  Enthusiasm is the display of sincere interest and zeal in the performance of duties.  Displaying interest and optimism in performing a task greatly enhances the likelihood that the task will be successfully accomplished.  Enthusiastic leaders are optimistic, cheerful, willing to accept the challenges of their profession, and determined to do the best job possible.  Enthusiasm is contagious.  Nothing will develop it more than the success of a unit or an individual.

7.      INITIATIVE.  Initiative, or taking action in the absence of orders, is required of leaders. Leaders who meet new and unexpected situations with prompt action instill respect and trust in their troops.  Closely associated with initiative is resourcefulness - the ability to deal with a situation in the absence of normal resources or methods.  To aid in the development of initiative, a leader must stay alert, recognize the task that needs to be done, and then accomplish it with caution, judgment,  and discretion.

8.      INTEGRITY.  The uprightness and soundness of moral principles and the qualities of truthfulness and honesty comprise integrity.  An upright leader places honesty, sense of duty, and sound moral principles above all else.  Nothing less than complete honesty in all dealings with superiors, subordinates, and peers is acceptable.

9.      JUDGMENT.  Judgment is the ability to weigh facts and circumstances logically in order to make decisions. Anticipation of situations, avoidance of the "easy" decision, and the application of common sense are characteristic.  Technical knowledge frequently plays an important role, as well.  The leader who makes sound decisions either has personal knowledge essential to solving a particular problem or has the presence of mind to confer with experts.

10.  JUSTICE.  The just leader gives rewards and punishments according to the merits of the case in question. Impartiality is exercised in all judgment situations, and prejudice of any kind is avoided. Because each decision is a test of fairness which is observed by subordinates and superiors alike, the leader must be fair, consistent and prompt.  Individual consideration should be given in each case.

11.  KNOWLEDGE.  Knowledge is the range of one's information, including professional knowledge.  Leaders should develop a program of learning which will keep them abreast of current developments in their military specialty, command policies, and world affairs.  A leader should also know and  understand each one of his subordinates.  Field manuals, training directives, magazines, and newspapers should be used in conjunction with serious discussions, research, and experience in broadening the leader's knowledge.

12.  LOYALTY.  Loyalty is the quality of faithfulness to country, the Corps, seniors, subordinates, and peers which should be reflected in every action.  A  leader's good reputation will be widespread when it is based upon  actions taken to protect subordinates from abuse.  Good leaders do not allow personal opinion to interfere with the mission, nor do they give the impression of disagreement with orders when relaying them to subordinates.

13.  TACT.  Tact is the ability to deal with others in a manner that will maintain good relations and avoid offense.  During conditions of stress, the use of tact becomes challenging when delivering criticism to a subordinate.  The  inexperienced leader sometimes feels that politeness in the service implies softness.  On the contrary, a calm, courteous, and firm approach usually will bring a cooperative response without unnecessary unpleasantness.  Consistently treating superiors, subordinates, and peers with respect and courtesy regardless of conditions or true feelings is a sign of maturity required of leaders.


14. UNSELFISHNESS. Unselfishness is the avoidance of providing for one's personal comfort and advancement at the expense of others. The comfort, pleasure, and recreation should be placed above those of the leader. Looking out for the needs of subordinates is the essence of leadership. However, keep in mind that accomplishment of the mission has priority. True leaders give themselves lowest priority and share  the dangers and hardships with their Marines and Sailors.