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Which of the following is most essential to an effective meeting?

1. An agenda
2. On time start and finish
3. Assigned roles (e.g., time keeper)
4. Ground rules (e.g., cell phones off)
5. Assigned action items
6. None of the above

Make your selection and then click here for the answer.

I am tickled pink by the incredibly green mileage of my new blue Prius, but red with anger over the yellow

highlighted "Excellent" ratings on the sample customer satisfaction survey handed to me by the salesman as I drove off. "If I get less then 90%, Toyota will throw me under the bus," he said.

Toyota wants feedback that the salesman fears and, as a result, the customer suffers. If the salesman does a lousy job, you have three choices: 

1. Tell the truth and constantly wonder about the bus
2. Avoid email and phone calls asking for feedback
3. Lie 

That is an ugly choice. Furthermore, it invalidates all the data they are collecting. And I do mean all. I heard the same line when I last bought a Toyota ten years ago. The sickening memory came back to me as soon as I heard it again.

How do you prevent such lunacy?

• When determining any course of action, think about what could go wrong so you can avoid bad decisions and take preventive action.
• Follow up, especially on any action as important as this, to see if it is really working.
• Talk to your customers in multiple ways so you are sure to get the whole story.
• Shop your own shop - anonymously, of course - to get a first hand look at the customer experience. 

Here are 9 signs that you've got the wrong employee:

1. Spends too much time on unimportant tasks
2. Makes mistakes frequently
3. Works too slowly
4. Mistreats other employees
5. Appears unhappy, indifferent, and/or unenthusiastic
6. Complains constantly
7. Blames others or can't see own short-comings
8. Refuses to take on new responsibilities
9. Has made it clear that you are a lousy boss and that nothing will ever change for the better in your company 

But wait! You could be to blame for every one of these, so don't fire that employee just yet. Read these two articles first. They will help you either resolve the problem or give you the confidence to help the employee out the door.

9 Signs You've Got the Wrong Employee

To Fire or Not To Fire - Mired in Guilt?

"Ann Latham is one of the best business speakers I have heard. She is very experienced, the quality of her thinking is extremely high, and she knows how to deliver her message in an entertaining, concise, and convincing way."

Dr. Alan G. Robinson, Isenberg School of Management, Author - "Ideas Are Free"

Uncommon Meetings - 7 Quick Tips for Better Results in  Half the Time

You can find it on my website, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. As always, print editions purchased from my website come with a value-packed bookmark and may be personalized.

If you have a copy of "The Meeting Clarity Handbook," an early release PDF version, everything is the same except the title.

"Clear Thoughts - Pragmatic Gems of Better Business Thinking" is also now available in Kindle, Nook, and other e-reader editions. 

What exactly is the problem?

"A problem well put is half solved."

John Dewey