As I meet with teams and leaders, I find it’s often feast or famine with the number of meetings on their calendar. Finding that right balance can be tricky, but also one of the most important aspects of building an effective, efficient, and healthy team.
Ten reflection questions for your team meetings.
1. Are your meetings passionate, intense, exhausting, or boring?
2. Are meetings compelling with the right issues being discussed?
3. Do team members engage in unguarded debate?
4. Is there a clear agenda with adequate time for discussion?
5. Do team members apologize if they are disrespectful? And make amends moving forward?
6. Do team members understand one another? Do people feel heard & valued?
7. Do team members avoid gossip, politics, or unnecessary talk?
8. Is there a clear leader(s) and decision maker(s)?
9. Is everything aired or do people walk away harboring resentment?
10. Does everyone understand their responsibilities once the meeting ends?
The greatest way to build trust with your team is by having consistent connection points and meetings are a crucial piece of that pie.
LASTLY, what happens after the meeting is just as important to ensure action is taken and information cascades to the rest of the team.
Three questions to always ask at the end of each meeting.
1. What do we need to communicate to our people?
2. What needs to be done and by who?
3. Who’s in charge of follow-up and checking back?
Often a slight change in addressing 1 or 2 of the key issues is all that is needed to move your meetings from good to great.