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October 9, 2015

Five Meeting Tips for New Leaders

Walking into your first meeting as a new leader of a group can be unnerving. You may have known the members for years as part of your church community, but this new situation may feel like you are entering a room full of strangers. According to Kanuga Conference & Retreat Center’s teambuilding expert Christine Murawski, there are five principles to consider to help your first meeting go smoothly.

Here are 5 principles new leaders should consider.

Be Authentic

You have been called to serve in this leadership role, and your true self is what is needed. Behave otherwise and people will notice.

“There are times when a new leader knows the previous leader and his or her personality style. It’s tempting to try to match their approach,” said Murawski. “However, the key to your success is to relax and be your authentic self. Your team will acknowledge your leadership differences, pick up on your confidence and will want to follow.”

Prepare

Get ready for your meeting well in advance by creating an agenda. This exercise helps you set clear goals and envision how the meeting will go. Plus, having an agenda allows you to be organized and confident during your meeting. Allow extra time in your agenda for participants’ thoughts or extra topics your team may believe are important to bring up. Share your agenda with the group at the beginning of the session. Doing so sends the message that you respect their time and desire their input.

Be Flexible

Just as important as setting clear goals at the beginning of the meeting is the ability to be flexible as the meeting goes along. New items may arise that weren’t on your agenda. Let them be discussed within reason. As the leader, you handle managing the group’s time. If you need to pull people back on topic, you can say, “This is a valuable topic, but let’s table it for now and return to our agenda.” Be sure to revisit that new topic at the next meeting.

Listen

Strive to talk less and listen more. As the group’s leader, this may seem counterintuitive at first, but the practice of listening is an essential trait of an effective leader. You have much to learn, and you are signaling to each member of your group that their contribution is an integral part of what is taking place.

Follow the Golden Rule

Consider the needs and perspectives of others. Just as you probably wouldn’t want to stay for a meeting that runs over or be forced to sit for hours on end, neither does your group. Respect their time—start and end your meeting as scheduled and provide breaks.

“While some of these recommendations may seem obvious, it’s helpful to remember the basics when you are starting a new journey,” explained Murawski. “With preparation and an open mind and heart, you can begin your new role with ease.”

Learn more about church leadership at the 2016 Church Leadership Conference presented by the Episcopal Church Foundation and Kanuga.

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