Meetings Suck if No One Participates

In the 2004-05 and 2005-06 NBA seasons, Steve Nash won back-to-back MVPS, joining the likes of NBA greats Tim Duncan. Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain. In a league where size dominates, you don't expect to see an undersized Canadian winning back-to-back MVPs.

So what did Nash do to win MVP?

Was he a 3-point savant?

A shutdown defender?

A prolific dunker?

None of these things. He never even registered a dunk in his career.

The only statistic he led the NBA during his MVP seasons was assists. So, what he did better than anyone else was make everyone else on his team better.

As the point guard, he made sure that everyone got involved and could contribute in their own unique way. If he saw a player struggling early in a game, he would make sure they got some wide-open shots so they could make some easy buckets to build up their confidence. If he saw a player was getting a hot hand, he would make sure he got them the ball as much as possible. He took an emotional temperature of each player and ensured that everyone was involved in how they needed to be and that they felt like they were needed for the team to succeed.

Another non-traditional statistic that Nash consistently led the league in throughout his MVP seasons was touches. Not touches of the ball but of handshakes, high-fives, hugs, chest bumps, and hugs. Nash literally reached out a hand to his teammates to get them involved and engaged with the game more than anyone else in the league.

So, what does this have to do with meetings?

Running a meeting is similar to being in an NBA game.

--You might have the player who goes down low and demands the ball, who wants to score the easy bucket. The person who commands attention throughout the meeting, taking over the conversation and listening to their own voice think.

--You might have the player who stands out by the three-point line, looking for a pass so they can contribute a bucket. The person who sits quietly thinking and pondering, waiting for their opportunity to contribute.

--You might have the player who is great at defense. The person who is quick to dismiss ideas and tell you why things won't work.

--You might have the player who throws down 360 and windmill dunks. The person who can jump in with a bunch of ideas but may not help too much in other aspects.

All of these players are valuable to your team. Each person brings something unique to the table (or court) and contributes in their own way, but left on their own, they get little accomplished. These teams need a leader to distribute the "ball" and get everyone involved.

This means allowing the prolific idea person to share a few ideas but not allowing them to derail the meeting by coming up with unrelated initiatives. This means slowing down the person constantly demanding the ball and controlling the conversation by ensuring others can contribute. This means ensuring the quiet 3-point shooter has a chance to share their idea. When you treat a meeting like a basketball game, passing the conversation around to everyone, your team will feel like they can contribute their unique strengths.

In addition to getting everyone involved, a great leader makes sure to "touch" each person on their team. These touches may not take the look of hugs, high-fives, and handshakes but rather a text message, a quick "how you doing," or an informal email checking-in. These touches create emotional safety and ensure everyone feels involved before they are asked to contribute to a meeting. Once you get into a more formal setting, like a meeting, your team feels comfortable being vulnerable and sharing their thoughts and ideas.

Getting everyone involved is the mark of an MVP leader.