Do you remember the very first leadership meeting you sat in on? It probably felt a little like this. Leadership meetings can cost you thousands of dollars, but more often than not are chaotic and overwhelming. A lot of decisions need to be made, they all feel very important, and everyone wants to be heard. The problem is these meetings never end on time, they get monopolized by lengthy discussions on single agenda items, there’s rampant off-camera multitasking, and conclude with participants feeling more disoriented than aligned. It’s no wonder executives think 45% of meetings are a waste of time.
If you want effective, productive, and on-time meetings, you need to answer the following 6 questions:
What is the purpose of the meeting? Define the meeting’s objective. You’re not just meeting because you’re all leaders at the company, there’s an outcome you want here. Is it to promote transparency? Manage blockers? Strengthen bonds? Without direction, your meeting can easily stray off track.
How often and for how long should the meetings happen? Now that you know the purpose, building a structure should come easy. If this is a meeting to build stronger bonds, maybe it should be a monthly happy hour call. If it’s to maintain alignment on a crucial short-term project, maybe you need a daily 15-minute standup every morning. Choose a cadence and time that is necessary without cannibalizing people’s calendars. And if over time, you realize you need to change it, then do so!
What items are allowed on the agenda? Meetings cannot have an anything-goes agenda style. Now that the meeting has a purpose and a cadence, you need to set guardrails so that the conversation stays focused. I like to set categories with predefined time limits, for example, “blockers” (10-20 mins), “celebrations” (2 mins), and “votes” (10-15 mins). Every agenda item has to fall into a category or else it can’t be discussed in this meeting.
Who needs to be on the call? This is pretty self-explanatory, don’t sacrifice efficiency for ego.
What can be shared asynchronously vs. what needs to happen synchronously? Stop having update meetings. No one wants to get a 15-minute update on a project that’s on track. Find a way to communicate updates that work for your team, but be clear on what should be included on the agenda and what can be shared offline.
Who owns this meeting? This is the most forgotten step, but easily the one that has the most impact. Every single meeting needs an owner. Why? Because nothing gets done if no one is accountable. The owner manages everything for the meeting. The meeting owner ensures meeting compliance from collecting agenda items prior, to keeping time, and resolving issues on call (“Ok, we’ve reached time on this agenda item, who wants to own it, work on it, and come back next week with an answer?” should be heard often).
If you follow this step-by-step guide I guarantee your team will leave each meeting with a sense of accomplishment, tangible next steps, and ending on time, each time!
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About Faye
Over the last 12 years, Faye’s worked with, scaled, and invested in 250+ companies that have raised from leading investors, such as Andreessen Horowitz, QED, Lerer Hippeau, Bessemer, Serena, and so many more.
As a seasoned operator, founder, investor, and now Fractional COO she brings a holistic approach to scaling companies. With an emphasis on collaboration, open communication, and transparency, she’s been able to turn around and supercharge the growth of companies globally.
If you’re interested in connecting with Faye, book a call here.