Tips on Leadership Meetings

Recently, I brought a teaching to the Drive Academy students regarding some random tips on how to conduct leadership meetings, and I decided to pass along some of the notes in this post.

Anyone who leads others, knows that meetings are a huge part of the job. Some Mondays, for me, I literally spend every minute, from 9:00AM to 10:00PM in meetings ... and I'm in charge of them all.

For leaders, meetings simply come with the territory. So, here is my short list of tips for leadership meetings:

1. Stay on task.
Know what your purpose is and remain focused on it. If you zig and zag on and off topic, you may likely get to the end of a very long meeting, and still not have the task wrapped up.

2. Establish the ending time.
If for nothing else, do this in respect of the people who will be participating in your meeting. By doing so, you are communicating that you respect their time, and will help you to "stay on task."

3. Laugh.

Have fun! Who ever said that meetings are supposed to be boring and stiff? Lighten up. Laugh a little. Poke fun at yourself.

4. Provide snacks.
If the meeting is over a meal time or if it is more than one hour, provide something to munch on! A good rule for meetings is, "if we don't eat, we don't meet."

5. Agenda light to heavy.

Old business to new business is the classical approach, but unless you are bound by Roberts Rules, agenda light to heavy. Hit some lighter topics up front, saving the bigger stuff for the latter part of the meeting. Reason being is that heavy topics can be mentally or emotionally exhausting. If you place these items at the beginning, the atmosphere can be stifled and bogged down, often assuring that you will never complete your agenda.

6. Prepare well.
Be sure you have a written agenda for your meeting. Sloppy preparation makes for sloppy meetings.

7. Start on time.
When you begin the meeting late, you are wasting everyone's time, especially those who cared enough to be there on time! Respect for the entire group is displayed by starting on time.

8. NEVER have meetings to have meetings.
Unless you are firmly bound by some type of bylaw, don't hold the meeting if there is not a reason for the agenda. For example, if you have a meeting every Tuesday at 3:00PM, but there are no significant agenda items, CANCEL THE MEETING! Speaking of bylaws, if a bylaw demands more meetings than necessary, change the bylaw. Why treat bylaws like the Bible, as if they can't be changed?

9. Be decisive.
When it's time to make a decision, make it! For me, if I feel about 80% sure I'm making the right decision, I do so and move on.

10. Manage the atmosphere, don’t control it.

This one speaks for itself. No one likes a control freak, so allow people to give feedback, responses, ideas, etc. Also, let others give input into the agenda by encouraging them to contact you in advance of the meeting to add agenda items. This also helps to minimize surprises for all involved, for no one wants to be put on the spot. Flexibility is part of the art of managing the atmosphere, so bend a little and enjoy the stretching exercise!

Meetings are a fact of life, so use these simple tips to make them better for all involved.