How G8 is similar to you Wed. Meeting

Posted by: asimrooglu | June 1, 2010

How G8 is similar to you Wed. Meeting

When world leaders meet, the pomp and ceremony is what the public sees.

However, wouldn’t you like to know WHAT gets done and HOW it gets done behind closed doors?

How much lobbying and earlier negotiation is required? How much of that can turn based on fleeting comments by a leader?

Many political groups follow these events closely. From a recent agenda release PM Harper has listed 4 areas of concern for the June 2010 G8 summit:

“the global economy, climate change, development and democratic governance” ¹

Look past the political posturing of the leaders…the real work of these events is done by government ministers in advance of such summit or at more results-oriented talks that go on simultaneously with the leaders’ speeches. Like you Wed morning sales meeting, the success of any decision-making meeting hinges on 5 areas: 3 before, 1 during and 2 after the meeting. See how closely your work relates in chart below.

	Summit	Meeting
Objective	Lobbyists jockey to have their issues at the top of the list.	5 sales people and 2 executives meet for an hour, weekly, to keep 4 existing clients happy and 20 potential clients to say YES.
Agenda	Who speaks, for how long, in what order, with what impact? Much orchestrating with travel, protocol and security.	Get it to people in advance! Priority of effort and key decisions about sales offerings to different clients. Focus on achieving previous action list.
Logistics	Event organizers must consider all the ramifications of place, security, travel and attendee?	Make sure it is the right setting, and secure it ahead of time.
Participation	The chairs for specific meetings that will take place must be very adept at responding to egos and maintaining decorum. They must know the participants and potential agenda hotspots in advance and strategize their responses.	It is more about listening and learning form each other. The chairperson must allow for open discussion, without fear of the boss. Similarly, everyone must be ready based on their agenda responsibility.
Action List	The note-takers (scribes, secretaries) for such meetings need careful wording for formal minutes of these affairs. Motions are tabled that need later action.	On-going diary of completed tasks with a point person and timeframe. Make sure your team is committed to their word.
Results	Your meetings should have more results than meetings of this importance and size. Generally actions are too slow, disjointed or inadequate.	Time for accountability and for applauding success. Any personal criticism should not be done publicly.

Final word: The sheer # of people involved in the G8 and the public scrutiny make it difficult to expect much change. We have become cynical about the ability of international groups to create positive change.

However, your sales meetings can get results. You have the shared vision for business success so with the right decisions and actions you can achieve strong results.

Action: Have your meetings “rated”. Call us for an assessment today.