Key Takeaway: You need a system of the right kinds of meetings to get the right things done.
Today we’re tackling Part 3 of our 5-Minute Meeting Makeover – Select the Right Meetings.
If you need a refresher on Part 1 (WHY you need a good meeting system and a key question to ask) or Part 2 (the Profitable Meeting Planner Checklist) then click below.
Now that we’ve talked about the basic framework for a profitable meeting, we’re talking about establishing the right systems of meetings for your team.
Employees spend an average of 31 hours per month in meetings. That’s over 7 hours each week!
You need a system of the right kinds of meetings so you can get the right things done.
While we don’t want to hold unnecessary meetings, we do need to ensure our teams are aligned around our key economic objectives and publicly recognize team members who contribute to accomplishing them.
Donald Miller, NYT bestselling author and business coach, wrote about this topic in his book, How to Grow Your Small Business. It changed the way I saw the value of a system of meetings, and we’ve adapted it based on our research and experience.
The 4 Core Weekly Meetings to install in your business are:
· The All-Team Meeting
· The Department Stand-up
· The Individual Speed Check
· The Leadership Meeting
NOTE: These may need to be adjusted based on the size of the team and departments involved. If you’re currently a smaller company (less than 5-10), focus on the core meetings until your team grows and departments develop.
The All-Team Meeting
This is your chance at the beginning of each week to create alignment across your whole team. Reminding them of your mission is crucial in establishing team unity around what you are trying to accomplish.
Your meeting should:
Answer the question – “What are the 3 economic objectives our company is focused on achieving this quarter/year?”
Update the team on key department initiatives and successes
Publicly recognize specific team members for their contributions to achieving those goals
Should last about 45 minutes or less
The Department Stand-up
This quick meeting (hence, the standing up part) is designed to follow up from the All-Team Meeting with a department-specific focus.
Your meeting should:
Answer the question – “How is our department working to accomplish the company’s 3 economic objectives?”
What is the status of our current initiatives and is there anything blocking our progress?
Last about 15 minutes or less
The Individual Speed Check
This once-a-week meeting between the department head or supervisor and each individual in that department
Your Meeting should:
Check the connectivity of the individual’s responsibilities and tasks to the overall goals of the department
Determine was blocks may be present preventing success
Encourage the growth of the team member
Last about 15 minutes or less
The Leadership Meeting
This is the time to ensure your departments are in sync. Departments can become siloed, and this meeting helps avoid roadblocks that could prevent you from achieving your goals.
Your meeting should:
Focus on the big initiatives of each department
Determine what (if anything) is blocking these initiatives because of input needed from other departments
Who is responsible for completing the task
Last about 30 minutes to an hour
If your team is smaller, you may just use your All-Team Meeting to cover these points.
Start using this meeting system by scheduling an All-Team Meeting to create alignment and accountability around your 3 economic objectives for this quarter.
You can continue to implement the meetings based on the size of your teams and departments. Don’t feel pressure to implement all this at once—take it one step at a time.
Keep Scaling!
Steve and Adam
(The father/son duo behind the Scale to Sell podcast)