Solving Problems/Improving Leadership

I’ve mentioned this in prior posts, but I’ll say it again: my office does not have a lot of conversation between employees and/or interns. In my internship last summer, this was somewhat the case as well, but the primary and important difference was the engagement between employees at the all staff meetings every week. My organization this summer also has these meetings, but I, and one of my fellow interns, feel that we do not capitalize on this opportunity to fully engage with each other.

Last summer, every meeting began by going around the table and each person saying something that went well and something that wasn’t so great about the last week. Then, at the end of the meeting, each person briefly went over what they will be working on for the next week and what their goals are. Being a small organization, this sharing was possible because there weren’t so many people that it would take too long, and we all knew each other well enough to feel comfortable talking about how we were doing. I loved this aspect of the meetings because I allowed me to see a little of what each person in the organization was working on, and I could then ask them questions about it or offer to help out.

A bit more than a week ago, I was talking to one of the other interns after the staff meeting at my current organization, and we came to the realization that we both see the meeting as missing something. This other intern had also experienced meetings similar to the ones I had at my previous internship, and we decided that the meetings where we work now need an upgrade. In an organization where everyone is often working on individual projects, it’s important to build cohesion some other way. Our charismatic CEO helps with this, but her powers of engagement and inspiration are limited, and why should she be solely responsible for filling that need when there are plenty of other people who are doing fascinating work?

While myself and the other intern cannot restructure the staff meetings ourselves, we are bringing our idea to the director of operations, who can pitch the idea to the full staff. However, I also have a weekly communication meeting with the Director of Communications (my supervisor) and her associate, and I think I’ll pitch the idea to them as well. Even though we are all in the same department, and in the duration of the meeting I can get a sense of what the others are working on, I can’t say for sure what it is that they do day to day. In fact, I don’t really know what projects my supervisor is working on right now, or what the goals are for the communications department. While I’m only here for the summer, I still would like to know more concretely what the end goal of my work and the work of the department is because I know that my motivation is usually derived from having a goal in mind. Additionally, adding this component to the meetings will give some much needed structure to them, which can hopefully help them to start and end on time.

I often hear people express a distaste for meetings because they can be long and boring when they don’t directly concern you or your work. I believe, however, that they are a great opportunity for building community and moral among coworkers, particularly if they’re well structured. I’m afraid that the staff at my organization are so focused on the work they do individually, that the well being of the organization has been left behind. The staff should take full advantage of the one time each week that they come together to check in on each other and recognize the power of community that can arise within an organization.