I looked around the room at the management team. It was a ragtag team, like most companies I work with, no starched white shirts here. The meeting had been convened to solve a nagging problem out on the plant floor. For the past two weeks, an elusive product defect had been showing up, but only detected right prior to shipping. This team of eight included representatives from all the major production areas as well as the VP of Operations. As I surveyed this motley crew, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Which person would have the insight, the brilliant idea that would save the day?”

This group was not unlike most classes I teach, where predictably, there are three types of participants. The first type of person always shows up early, helps to arrange the classroom, sits on the edge of their chair and whenever I ask a question, raises their hand, waving frantically for my attention. This is the person I call the Eager Beaver.

The second type of person is never early, but never late. I call this person the vacationer. They are very happy to be in class, because after all, they are not back in their cubicle at work. Responding to a discussion, sometimes they will participate, sometimes they won’t, doesn’t really matter to them, because, after all, they are on vacation.

The third type of person is precisely punctual, sits in the back of the room with their arms folded, daring any person around to engage them in anything, as if to say, “Just try to teach me something!!” This is the person I call the hostage.

Which one of these three is going to have the insight, the brilliant idea that is going to save the day?

It might be the Eager Beaver, perhaps the vacationer, might it be the hostage? For the manager, here is the dilemma. You don’t know. You don’t know which one is going to save the day. This is the reason no manager can afford to have a single team member disengaged. We need maximum participation from every team member. No coasting in my meetings. Everybody plays.

How often do we sit in meetings, watching people check out? They surreptitiously check e-mail on their Blackberry when they think no one is looking. They have one ear open to the meeting, one eyed glancing at a report they were supposed to review yesterday. One brazen team member even has their laptop open on the table, supposedly taking notes of the meeting. A sideways glance shows they are downloading e-mail and checking their horoscope.

Who is responsible for creating a different atmosphere, a different context? Who is responsible for creating the crucible in which a problem can be explored, alternatives generated and a solution selected? Who is responsible for creating the kind of meeting where each team member is engaged from beginning to end? Who indeed?

If that’s you in the mirror, the next question is “how?” How can you create maximum participation from every person in the room? How can you create full engagement? —TF