Let’s face it….most people in business HATE meetings. “That’s another hour of my life I won’t get back” is a commonly heard comment as the team leave the meeting room.
“They’re pointless. They waste valuable time. They’re unstructured. Nothing happens afterwards. They go off on tangents”. And so the list of criticism goes on.
But the reality is….meetings are crucial in business. Or should I say…appropriate communication at appropriate times is crucial.
Just because you’ve gathered the team to a meeting doesn’t mean you should cover EVERYTHING!!! Some admin details mixed with a wee brainstorm then let’s figure out strategy and oh, what about the next raft of training requirements. Aaaaagh! Meeting Stew!!!
There are 4 key meetings we need to have to ensure appropriate communication at appropriate times:
The Daily “check in” – 10 mins (administrative)
The Weekly Team meeting – 45-90 mins (tactical)
The Ad Hoc Topical meeting – 2-4 hrs (strategic)
The Quarterly Offsite Review – 1-2 days (developmental)
Read Lencioni’s The Advantage for more on this. Exceptional.
