Monday Morning Meetings Part 2

I have previously written about my last job and our Monday Morning Meetings and what a farce they were. Now correct me if I'm wrong but I always thought that company meetings were for 1. Brainstorming and 2. Bringing up matters concerning the day to day operations. Not so in that company.

The company is a family business run by a husband and wife team along with their eldest son. They meeting was always chaired by the wife with the son sitting shot gun. At the start of every meeting the mother would go around to each of us and ask if anyone had anything to contribute, so as she asked each one, each one would reply no nothing to contribute. This took all of 5 minutes and the reason no one wanted to say anything is because nothing ever got done and somehow or other if you said something they didn't like it would eventually come back and bite you in the ass.

This went on month after month and the Matriarch started getting royally pissed that no one contributed and that she was the only one who had anything to say. Her son eventually didn't bother to attend meetings.

One day during one of the meetings she went around and asked all of us if we read books. What this has to do with company business I do not know. She also asked what do we read. I already know what is going through her mind I had her pegged, so I said I was presently reading 'The Secret' and it was about the power of positive thinking and how it can change your life. This greatly excited her as this is the type thing she likes to hear. I mean this lady always likes to bring god into her meetings and as far as I'm concerned god has no place in our meetings.

A few months later she brought in some books and passed them out to all the staff and asked us to read the books. The book was entitled "How To Be Happy'. Of course we all glanced at each other and rolled our eyes. Now if you expect your staff to read a book don't you think they should be able to read on company time.

The following week she asked if any one had read the book and of course everyone said no. I decided I better start reading so that evening I went home and started reading. The book had been written by some guy who had had a six figure income who gave it all up in the pursuit of happiness. The book was boring and so I managed to finish only half of it. The following week she asked again and this time only two of us admitted to reading the book. This went on for a few more weeks when she finally got the message and gave up on everyone and stopped asking.

Reading the book was absolute bullshit as she, her husband and son all have a business so they can earn money. Don't expect your staff to read such drivel when you yourself are pursuing the almighty dollar. If you didn't want to be rich why have a business in the first place and hound your sales staff into selling more. Don't tell your staff to think of themselves as being part of a family. If we were part of your family wouldn't we be getting shares.

Now I am an avid reader but I like to choose what I want to read not something my boss forces me to read and stop bringing god to the meetings. Your staff are not all Christians. They are made up of Chinese, Indians and Malays with different religious beliefs.