When your preferred leadership communication style is one of influence and persuasion rather than command and control, you’re inevitably going to spend a lot of time in meetings.That’s certainly the case for Barack Obama, but some critics are starting to suggest that he’s all-listen and no action. Specifically some are claiming he’s dithering on national security issues in the wake of the narrowly averted aeroplane bombing in Detroit.

The article below from Erin Haust of the Minneapolis Conservative Examiner gives a flavour of the pointed fault-finding.

Haust suggests Obama read “Death By Meeting” by Patrick Lencioni. I agree, but for busy Nobel Prize winners and lesser leaders short on time, here’s a concise summary:

• Ensure the meeting has a clear purpose
• Ensure everyone attending the meeting knows what that purpose is, well ahead of time
• Let attendees in advance what is expected of them during the meeting
• Clarify start times, break times and finishing times
• Keep in mind that two-hour meetings are rarely twice as beneficial as one-hour meetings
• Introduce elements of creative conflict and dramatic tension
• Encourage people to politely, professionally disagree and debate
• Reassure attendees that creative conflict is welcome and beneficial
• Make it clear whether a decision will be made and if so, how the decision will be made
• Finish on time and in an upbeat way – lay the ground for an even more positive meeting next time.


Oh good, a meeting http://www.examiner.com/x-2927-Minneapolis-Conservative-Examiner~y2010m1d5-Oh-good-a-meeting

Don't you feel safer already?

As is his typical reaction to tragedy, failure, or matter of national importance, President Obama will be holding a meeting today. The nation is still reacting to the attempted bombing of a airplane headed for Detroit and the media simply won't let the story go with so many unanswered questions about the next steps for national security. So where will we find the leader of our great nation? At another meeting of course.

In addition to more than 9 meetings with his national security team since January, President Obama has called countless gatherings to appease the media and create the illusion of action including the bipartisan meeting on stimulus last winter, the virtual townhall on health care, March meetings with Fed Chair Bernanke and the "Fiscal Responsibility Summit, "the "Jobs Summit," the "Beer Summit," and the "Doctor Summit" (complete with costumes). "Fat Cat" bankers sat down with the President in December, George Clooney had a meeting about Darfur, and regular folks have participated in the townhall blitz that spanned the US, France, and China.

It seems that President Obama may need to grab the book Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni. The results of previous reactionary meetings have been far from successful and virtually none have resulted in action items. Obviously presidential meetings about stimulus spending haven't resulted in more accountability, fiscal summits have failed to result in less spending, jobs summits haven't resulted in more jobs, and the US is clearly no safer thanks to the meetings held by President Obama.

Our nation is under attack by radical jihadists, but don't worry. The President is holding a meeting about that.

(gwhitney@ecdinsight.com)