Article on Leadership Skills:
The article below (and any other article specified on this website) is available for use in your organization’s newsletter or for printed training materials. All we ask is that you include the following acknowledgment with each article you use from this site: Town Hall MeetingsWith the onset of fall come the usual political ads aimed at helping us choose our candidate and motivating us to go to the polls. Some of these ads get very negative, making it harder to see good in any of the candidates. But there is one technique used by politicians that we could learn from and apply to the workplace. That is the town hall meeting.When the politician campaigns in a community, one important method he or she often uses to get people to come out is the informal town meeting. This goes beyond a prepared speech and allows for two-way dialogue. The audience comes to the meeting armed with their questions, knowing they will have an opportunity to raise those questions and get an answer from the politician. This gives the audience an up-close-and-personal view of the candidate and gives the candidate a chance to be genuine and speak without a script. Although we sometimes wonder if we are getting complete candor with certain politicians, the idea is a very good one: find out what the people are concerned about and speak to those issues; become vulnerable enough with them that they “see the real you,” respect and understand you, and take your side on election day. How Can We This Apply at Work? If you are the manager or supervisor, you may have staff meetings with your team. These are for sharing organizational information that comes from the top, getting updates on projects, and maybe even sharing some new skill or technical information—all worthy objectives. But think back to our politician. Can we make these more informal and less one-way? The answer is “yes.” Invite more people to come together—several departments or even the whole company. Rather than having an agenda, what about being open to taking questions from the floor and answering them candidly? This can be an invaluable process, especially during a time of change or special challenge. If your company is serious about promoting an open culture and having committed and involved employees, what better way than to have several of the top managers in a town hall meeting with employees? Invite your boss to consider this idea. Be willing to be part of the team fielding questions. Schedule a time when you can have people bring a brown bag lunch and sit down with one or more of the bosses to ask candid questions. Twenty-five or thirty people may be large enough (use your judgment, but don’t make them too big or they will be less effective). If your company is small, you can invite everyone at once. If you are larger, consider having several of these within a short period of time and limit sign-ups to a manageable number at each event. The managers involved should take off their jackets and sit down with the workers. They should be prepared to answer questions frankly and honestly, and in contrast to politicians, with no agenda other than to build goodwill and trust. While the politician may waffle so as to try to please everyone, don’t do this! Be as candid as possible, even with bad news. People are more accepting of tough facts when the bosses have enough respect for them to tell them the truth. If you stretch the truth, they will find out, and your town hall meeting will backfire; people will feel manipulated and angry. Even when employees ask questions the bosses cannot answer, or of necessity have to answer with an unpopular answer, candor helps generate allies, not adversaries. Whether times are good or bad, the town hall approach helps managers stay in touch with the workers and helps the workers feel valued. In good times and bad, you should plan to end such meetings with a 3-5 minute rallying speech. It’s important for one of the managers to convey the message, “We believe in you. We are all working together here, and we will make this company even better in the days ahead because our work is important.” Inspiration is important, and when it is followed by genuine efforts to treat workers fairly, it can have a very positive impact on morale. Return to List of Free Articles on Leadership Skills
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