Imagine if you had a network of women leaders all across the country that you could tap anytime you wanted to find out what’s working for them. With our new feature, Worked for Her, you can. In our first installment, Lisa Tanzer, President of Life is Good in Boston, shares her secret to spicing up her company’s meetings.
Let’s be honest: Meetings can be morale-killers. Not only do people hate going to them, but it sometimes feels like meetings are only for bad news.
At least that’s how it was at our company.
Everyone dreaded meetings and the neverending negative news that came along with them.
So we decided to start each meeting off on a positive note. At every single meeting, we go around the room and everyone shares something good that’s happened to them.
The only rule: It has to be something positive.
It can be anything from something positive at work to more personal news, like something with their kids or themselves.
At first, people gave quick, small answers. But the more meetings we had, the more people opened up. We started learning whose kids were involved in what, exciting news for spouses and even personal details about people, like when someone was buying a house.
Eventually, folks started to open up about positive things happening in the office, too. We’re quick to praise when someone saved the day or really stepped up to the plate.
Brings everyone together
Now, everyone looks forward to sharing and hearing good news.
And we’ve all enjoyed learning more about each other in the process. We now know what’s going on personally and professionally in each other’s lives. You hear more chatting in our office because relationships have blossomed.
It’s also done wonders for what comes after. When we have some not-so-positive things to discuss, everyone handles it a lot better. We’ve got the right mindset and the right relationships to handle whatever comes our way.
Bad news is always easier to swallow when you start with good news as an appetizer.
(Lisa Tanzer, President, Life Is Good, Boston, MA)
