Modern leadership has developed an elaborate ritual for decisions that have already been made.
First, the leader announces that no decision has been reached. Next, the group is invited to share perspectives. A whiteboard appears. Someone uses the phrase “open dialogue.” Several employees make the understandable mistake of believing the discussion may affect the outcome.
This is where weak leaders lose control.
A meeting should not be a place where the organization discovers what it thinks. Discovery creates uncertainty. Uncertainty creates alternatives. Alternatives create the dangerous possibility that someone other than the leader may be correct.
The Proper Function of Discussion
Discussion is most useful after the decision has been made but before everyone has accepted responsibility for it.
The skilled executive therefore uses the meeting to accomplish three goals:
- Allow participants to describe the decision in their own words.
- Identify the employees who still believe the conversation is real.
- Convert silence into evidence of broad support.
This approach is often mistaken for poor communication. It is actually communication with a controlled outcome.
The Executive Listening Pose
During the discussion, the leader should lean slightly forward, narrow the eyes, and hold a pen without writing anything. This signals serious consideration while preventing the accidental creation of a record.
Useful phrases include:
- “That is valuable context.”
- “We should keep that in mind.”
- “I appreciate the candor.”
- “Let us take that offline.”
None of these statements commits the organization to action. Their purpose is to acknowledge that sound occurred.
Closing the Ceremony
The meeting should conclude with a summary beginning, “What I am hearing is…” This allows leadership to replace what was actually said with a more strategically useful interpretation.
Participants may remember disagreement. The minutes will remember alignment.
A leader should never enter a meeting without knowing the outcome. Otherwise, the meeting may become a place where people think.
Roland K. Voss is a fictional satirical author persona. This Field Note is business humor, not management advice.