Building An Action-Item Oriented Meeting Rhythm That Works
Part three in the Creating a System for Success series.
Building a meeting rhythm that brings results can be challenging. I managed to build a few really good meeting rhythms yet still find it challenging when it’s time to start a new project.
A meeting rhythm is like any other part of the business; it needs to be constantly optimized and worked on. The first few meetings are probably not going to run smoothly, but by evaluating the problems and addressing them, there is a good chance the rhythm will start to take form. Eventually, the meetings will run without you, which is the goal.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when evaluating the meeting rhythm:
Do I have the right team?
Ideally, you will want a small team that can run almost independently without having too much red tape bogging them down. Meetings with a large number of participants can easily create too many distractions that might lead to off-topic discussion. Each attendee should be relevant to the project and have a certain role in the team.
Additionally, it’s important that the team has enough bandwidth to execute the tasks derived from the meeting in a certain time frame. There will be very good employees that you will want as part of your team, but maybe they’re just too busy (even though they might say that they can handle it). This is a good time to look at the company’s priorities and see how time is spent to make adjustments if you need to.
Do I have a clear action-item list after every meeting?
Try to derive a clear action item list from the meeting and assign a team member in charge of a specific task. Ideally, they will be able to finish the task and report on the data and results before the next meeting. However, this may not always be possible, but having an action item list for teams to at least discuss can provide a healthy rhythm in which things are supposed to get done.
If at any point you don’t see enough data and the action items are not being done fast enough, it would be a good idea to either change the rhythm or give the team more resources to get data quicker and finish tasks faster.
Are we having a fruitful discussion in the meetings?
Having a transparent discussion where the team feels comfortable enough to contribute their ideas is important for a number of reasons.
- Team members, even the newest, might have great ideas that are worth testing and trying. You never know until you allow them the opportunity.
- It’s important to detect bottlenecks and issues that the team might have that you’re not aware of.
- Most importantly, it’s crucial to the morale and the motivation of the team. Team members need to feel heard and that they’ve contributed to the success of the project.
It’s important to keep in mind that it’s not a lecture; it’s a discussion. If you find yourself dictating too much, then feel free to make adjustments to your tone, even if it means that things will go a bit slower in the short term. It will go a long way in making the room comfortable.
Transparency is key to your team members knowing not only what they are supposed to do but why they are doing it. If they become more familiar with the leadership’s process and the project’s end goal, they might find better and more effective ways to get there.
