The 12 of us shuffled into the jury room. I plopped into my chair with a heavy sigh, wondering (selfishly) how much my work would suffer while I fulfilled my jury obligation. My mind was snapped to attention as a middle-aged, well groomed male at the end of the table reminded us that the judge had instructed not to discuss this rape case outside the jury room and to choose a foreman. Then he asked, “So, how should we select the foreman?” Following a short discussion, we selected him. He was our leader for this trial.
How the jury selected him as foreman offers clues about who people choose to follow during meetings and how you can influence their choice. In a series of experiments, professors from Columbia and New York University reported that priming a person’s mindset before a meeting can boost their influence during it. (1) Subjects who wrote a few paragraphs (triggering positive feelings of power, promotion, or happiness) prior to a meeting increased the probability that they were described as the leader, hired after an interview, and perceived as better negotiators.
The worst way to walk into any meeting, according to this research, is without a definite intention. I think the foreman was elected as our leader because he was clear about why he was there before he entered the jury room.
I know I have been guilty of rushing into meetings and one-on-one conversations with a “default mindset” (thinking about anything except my intention). I now use the story about our foreman and evidence from these studies to better prime myself before strategic meetings.
How about you? How do you prepare yourself for your important meeting? How might you adapt these prime ideas to do it even better? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you.
Keep stretching when you’re pulled,
Dave
1. Adam Galinsky and Gavin Kilduff, Harvard Business Review, December 2013, 127 – 130.
P.S. We found the defendant guilty.
Dave Jensen helps leaders manage ambiguity, gain buy-in to any change, improve decision-making, and achieve difficult goals in today’s complex, competitive, and conflicting environment. For a FREE Chapter or to purchase his newly released groundbreaking book that helps executives and managers develop business-boosting skills, The Executive’s Paradox – How to Stretch When You’re Pulled by Opposing Demands, visit http://davejensenonleadership.com/
