If this is what you are hearing from your staff when you announce that you are having an employee meeting, something is seriously wrong. It is a fact that the vast majority of business meetings are boring time-wasters. With that I can understand why it is common to hear “no one likes meetings”.
A staff meeting is vital to the on-going success of any operation. It doesn’t matter if you coach a football team or manage a doctor’s office. Meetings are a chance for your team of employees to regroup, refocus, and rebuild on the goals of the business. Meetings are a time to celebrate, inspire, praise and redirect by training.
The vast majority of businesses fail to conduct regularly scheduled meetings. That is sad! Employees deserve to know how their individual and group contributions are affecting the success or failure of the business. In my last column I discussed just why it is lonely at the top for some business owners. It is lonely because they are trying to shoulder all the responsibility of the business’s success themselves. Success in management is getting things done through people. And one of the best ways to do that is to have a constant open-line of communication. Meetings are that constant communication conduit.
Employees really do like meetings, if they are conducted properly. Here are some “how to’s” to properly lead your team to the next level.
• Publish The Meeting Dates In Advance. No one likes surprises. If a meeting is called at the last minute and is poorly organized, it is hard for employees to remain focused. If your organization has several different employee groups, make sure you state exactly who needs to attend the meeting. There is nothing more frustrating for an employee than to sit through a meeting that has nothing to do with their responsibilities. Remember, NO SECRETS, NO SURPRISES.
• Start On Time – End On Time. Seems simple, but far too often meetings are late getting started and end well beyond the scheduled end-time. Do not reward tardy employees by holding up a meeting. If your meeting is scheduled for 8:00 AM, start at exactly 8:00 AM and do not allow any tardy employees into the meeting after it is started. If you do, you are rewarding that tardy individual and punishing the employees that had the courtesy to show up on time. End your meetings at the scheduled time. There is nothing more aggravating then a meeting that drones on well beyond its scheduled ending time.
• Have An Agenda. The reason meetings run long and aimlessly wander out of control is they lack a structured agenda. Prior to your meeting, solicit input on the topics to be discussed from your management team. After all, they are the group responsible for running the business and they need to be responsible for crafting the agenda. By doing so, you will create “buy in” from your managers and they will be enthusiastic about attending the meeting. Make sure you distribute the agenda to all attendees in advance of the meeting so they know exactly what is going to be discussed. This enables them to be prepared. Your agenda should be a brief outline of topics that will be covered as well as the time that will be allocated to each topic. Make sure you assign an employee to each topic.
• Group Participation. The success of a business is a collection of all its employees’ contributions. So then why do managers and owners insist on running entire meetings themselves? The leader of the meeting is similar to the conductor of an orchestra or choir. They do not play or sing they direct and control the final product. The same is true for conducting a meeting. The more employee participation, the more energizing your meeting will be. Employees that are allowed to regularly contribute to the group are more engaged and stimulated.
• Praise In Public – Reprimand In Private. There is no better time to showcase individual employee and group accomplishments then at your staff meeting. By doing so, you are creating a model of the performance you desire in your business. Fellow employees will be inspired to follow that model, because they too desire recognition. Never reprimand an individual or group of employees in a meeting. Do it in private. Nothing is more of a downer than to hear about how “this person” or “that group” made a mistake. It is a total de-motivator.
Meetings are a vital communication conduit that have the potential to deliver success to your business. Right now is an excellent time to visit your meeting process. Confidentially solicit input from your management team as well as your employees on how you could improve your meetings. By conducting a confidential inquiry, you are more apt to acquire honest opinions and comments. Be the business that has a reputation for running efficient and successful meetings. When you do, you will have a more energized employee base with less turnover and more profit.
