Monday, March 21, 2016

BUSINESS GUIDE:Effective Meetings Require Time

Do you find that your organization faces the same problems and challenges year after year, with no resolution? Do you discuss the same issues concerns, people, and customers month after month? Do you find that right when you are getting to the heart of the matter in the middle of an important debate or topic, your meeting is over, and you have to postpone to some later date? Do you create goals and plans that do not come to fruition? Do you see this trend every meeting? These are typical results when you do not spend enough time meeting with your leadership team.
Cons of Not Properly Setting Aside Time for Effective Meetings
Have you considered the amount of time, productivity, and growth you have lost by not setting aside enough time to properly make decisions, to debate and resolve issues, to align priorities and to hold leaders accountable? By avoiding meetings, critical decisions do not get made or are made poorly. Meetings give you a time to discuss priorities. Failure to debate priorities and work through issues can bring organizations to a standstill. Leaders wait until the next meeting or for a final decision, allowing your competition the opportunity to thrust forward. Setting you far back in the competition. If you do not make time to meet how will these issues get resolved. While it is counterintuitive to most leaders, spending more time in meetings could actually double or triple company productivity.
Proper Time Blocks
The key is a commitment to setting aside enough time. Time to really focus on the topics that need improving. Assuming you know how to run an effective meeting (and experience says you probably need help), the executive team should be allocating the following time blocks to work on the business, to debate issues focused on strategy, accountability, setting priorities, new opportunities, evaluating your people, challenging the business model, etc.:
• 10 minutes a day for a huddle with your direct team
• Weekly Meeting - 1 hour per week
• Monthly Meeting - 1 full day
• Quarterly Meeting - 2 full days (1 day is Strategic)
Are you following this system? If not it is time for a change. Try it out and see how much success you accomplish at your meetings.
Failure to have these meetings and to focus on the right topics robs you of significant growth and profits. Don't get set back on what could be helping you achieve growth and success in your organization.

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