Are You Missing THIS In Your Team Meetings?

Meetings are a cornerstone of an organized and communicative leadership team, yet they often are poorly done because they are time-consuming and unproductive. 

The secret to transforming meetings from mundane to impactful lies in the agenda items. 

Most agenda items cover three essential aspects: information sharing, decision-making, and taking action. 

Let’s delve into why these components are crucial and how to integrate them effectively into your meeting agendas.

1. Information Sharing: Laying the Foundation

Why It Matters:
Information sharing is essential for effective meetings. Here, your team has the opportunity to catch up on relevant updates, progress reports, and key data points. This stage ensures everyone is on the same page and aligned, which is vital for informed discussions and decisions. However, doing this efficiently is key.

How to Implement:
I recommend Gino Wickman’s EOS Level 10 Meeting suggestion of spending five minutes on each of the following information sharing items: begin with a Scorecard or KPI Review, then address any Rocks or Goals that are off track, next share Customer and Employee Headlines and finally have quick review of the Leadership Team To Do List. In total, this should take approximately 20 minutes. The goal is to share information efficiently, informing and aligning the team on the current state of affairs. Keep it concise and use visual aids or a dashboard to make data easily digestible.

2. Decision-Making: The Core of the Meeting

Why It Matters:
Decision-making is where the rubber meets the road. Meetings should be platforms where key decisions are discussed, debated and made, leveraging the collective intelligence of the group. This segment is crucial for progress and ensures that issues are resolved collaboratively.

How to Implement It:

Gino Wickman uses the process of IDS: Identify, Discuss and Solve key issues as a Leadership Team. If you’re running weekly Level 10 meetings, the IDS process should be given an hour each week. Facilitating an open discussion encourages participation from all attendees to gather a diverse perspective and focus the outcome on substantial solutions.

3. Taking Action: Turning Decisions into Results

Why It Matters:
Without actionable steps, decisions remain abstract and unimplemented. The action-taking segment ensures that decisions made during the meeting are translated into tangible tasks and responsibilities, driving your team forward.

How to Implement It:
Conclude your meeting by recapping the To Do list and Cascading Messages for the Leadership Team. I recommend completing each agenda item with the following action clarifying questions:

 “Who’s going to do what? By when? and How will we know?” 

These are pure magic when it comes to taking action.

When combined, these 3 steps will help to craft the perfect agenda for a great team meeting.

BUT…

There’s one more aspect to meetings that will help take your leadership team’s communication to the next level, and that’s CONNECTION. 

Most leadership teams don’t mindfully take the time to connect – and to connect deeply. The more you can mindfully connect, the healthier your team will be. 

Here are a few ways to mindfully connect with your team:

• Start team meetings with a Segue, a few minutes dedicated to sharing personal milestones, stories or interests.

• Engage in active listening exercises, such as repeating back what you’ve heard to ensure understanding.

• Conduct workshops or training sessions focused on developing emotional intelligence, conflict resolution skills, and problem-solving. (This is one of our favorite things to do here at Fruehling Coaching. More on this below)

An impactful meeting is more than an agenda; it’s a strategic tool that drives productivity, efficiency, and fosters a healthy team relationship. Implement these principles, and watch as your meetings transform into powerful engines of progress and collaboration!

Q3 is quickly approaching, and now is a great time to engage your team in a strategic planning session, team health session or a deep team alignment session with me. Click below to learn more about our team sessions here at Fruehling Coaching and Facilitation