We’re in a moment of real workplace reckoning. As organizations push people back into offices, I’ve noticed a growing fatigue — not just with the commute or the cubicle, but with how our time is being used (and often wasted). We need managers who have good facilitation skills.
That’s why I was glad to contribute to this recent Globe and Mail article on “meeting hygiene”, a term I both appreciate and want to push a little further. Because the way we meet isn’t just about time management: it’s about culture, leadership, and inclusion.
In my work with leaders, I often say: your meetings are a microcosm of your organization. How people show up (or don’t), who gets to speak, how decisions are made: it all says something. And too often, what it says is that people don’t feel seen, heard, or valued.
Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
Why do meetings have a bad reputation?
The biggest reason meetings go down the drain is because managers often lack basic management skills. Good management is predicated on a range of emotional intelligence skills. A lot of managers over rely on content, facts, statistics and rationality– without having any awareness of their emotional state. This is what comes across more loudly to their team than the content of what they’re saying.
Hybrid meetings are clumsy: people crammed into tight meeting rooms in downsized offices, their remote colleagues beaming in from afar with bad Internet connections. How does the set-up affect the meeting itself?
In the virtual world, emotional tone gets amplified because people have less access to those body signals in the room.
The default for a lot of leaders is to rush right into the meeting content because of this sentiment that people feel over-Zoomified and tired of being online. What it actually means is that managers need to curate meetings more carefully. You need to use the time well, but also get people to connect. If people feel connected, they’re more likely to have their cameras on, participate and invest themselves rather than dialing themselves out further, which is happening in a lot of workplaces.
Research shows that managers who institute five days in office are seeing high rates of quitting among senior -level staffers who prize flexibility, particularly women and racialized employees. And does backlash to DEI mean bosses aren’t particularly concerned?
To their own detriment. I look at the DEI pushback, and long-term, the dissatisfaction among these pockets is only going to grow. Unfortunately, the point at which workplace bosses will start to listen is when they start losing talent, expertise and people’s productivity.
The time economy– how we manage time, how we value employees’ time– this is another facet of inclusion and equity. Managers slopping this off their plates, it’s going to come back and bite them.
If you’re curious to explore more, take a moment to read the full article here on the Globe and Mail site (article by Zosia Bielski). I share thoughts on why so many meetings go off the rails, how emotional intelligence plays a critical role in leadership, and what real inclusion looks like, even in something as everyday as a calendar invite.
And if this conversation resonates with you, I invite you to go deeper with me.
I will be teaching Authentic Facilitation: Guiding Groups through Polarizing Times this November, and I invite you to join me. My next book Fire and Silence: A Roadmap for BIPOC Leaders is also now available for pre-order. And you’re also welcome to join one of our free upcoming Anima Cafe conversations.
Photo Credits: Duane Cole – The Globe and Mail
Annahid Dashtgard
CEO and Co-Founder, Anima Leadership
Annahid has a Masters in Adult Education and has trained in various psychological modalities (Process work, Somatic Experiencing trauma training, mindfulness and Chinese medicine) to understand the root of systems change in human consciousness. Besides consulting, educating, coaching and writing on JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) issues for over two decades across both public and private sectors, she has carefully cultivated her love of reading, usually on the couch with a glass of wine in hand trying to tune out the voices of her little ones. Check out her wiki page or website for more.
