In this meeting, do I have a voice or a vote?
by Tijs Besieux, PhD
(Context: Part of my job is gathering insights on what holds leaders back from customer-centric leadership.)
Recently, I observed a virtual meeting for the B2B arm of a global insurance firm. My camera was off, and my microphone was muted.
The session was led by Andreas, Head of Customer Experience. He gathered cross-functional leaders from sales, product, legal, and compliance to address a spike in client churn.
In his opening, Andreas said: “I want to fix this here and now.”
What followed was a best-in-class discussion: candor, balanced turn-taking, active listening, and Andreas working hard to guide the dialogue without dominating it. If I had recorded the first 45 minutes, I’d use it in class to show how productive teams talk.
Until the break.
Two participants stayed on unmuted mics. One said: “I think we’re getting there.”
After the break, the rich dialogue continued. Then, ten minutes before the end, Andreas wrapped up: “This was very productive. Thank you all for your insights. Have a great evening!”
He logged off. People stared at their screens, visibly confused, before logging off one by one. In follow-ups, participants rated their return on time investment a 3/10. That coffee break comment? She thought they were gathered to make decisions. Instead, she felt their ideas were left gathering dust on Andreas’s desk. Turns out, everyone else, apart from Andreas, felt the same.
When I interviewed Andreas, he rated the meeting a 9/10. His intent was never to make a decision. He wanted input to pitch a plan to the board, a way of working that was very habitual to him. When I reminded Andreas that he literally said, “I want to fix this here and now,” he paused:
“I wanted to create urgency. But I see how that perhaps signaled a different mandate.”
I see this pattern quite often. Leaders see the full decision-making journey, but participants experience a breakdown in procedural justice. A gap between what they thought their role was and how it played out.
People don't mind having only a voice or only a vote. What depletes energy is a lack of clarity about which one they have.
To "fix" this, clarify the decision-making journey in your opening remarks:
(1) Why are we gathering today?
(2) Why were you invited?
(3) Where does this fit in the larger process?
(4) What does that mean for how you can contribute productively today?
For Andreas, a clear opening sounds like this:
“Last week I flagged rising churn to the board and asked for a mandate to design an action plan. Today, I want to surface as many insights as possible to help me shape the plan I pitch to the board next Friday. The board will make the go/no-go decision. For today: don’t hold back. We don’t need to solve it here and now; we need to surface the right information to shape the right solution.”
Even if the journey is crystal clear to you as a leader, never assume it’s clear to the people in the room. Their future commitment hinges on it.