One of the biggest challenges I observe in working with organizations is the way people use their time in meetings. Meetings can be a powerful way to communicate and plan or they can waste tremendous time and resources.

Some basic reminders:

• Email an agenda out ahead - ask yourself, what's the purpose of this meeting?
• Get input on items via email and consolidate the feedback to save time and go deeper quicker in meetings
• Consider pre-reading or prep by sending documents out ahead instead of expecting people to review them and make decisions during the meeting
• Be clear on the kind of meeting you're having - some meetings should focus on your business plan and be more strategic (at least once a quarter); others are meant for quick updates, problem solving or tactical issues
• Make sure you have the right people in the room
• Consider holding a meeting while everyone is standing - they go faster
• One of my health conscious clients holds "walking meetings" where the participants hold their meeting while walking around the property - he reports that people stay energized and sometimes think better on their feet
• Stick to the meeting time you set - even better is to end early
• Always end your meeting with a summary and be clear on who is going to do what by when - remind people of their commitment if you don't hear back to reinforce accountability
• Engage a skilled facilitator to manage or assist in meetings where everyone needs to participate and that are high stakes

Mary Key, Ph.D.

mary@keyassociatesinc.com

By

Mary Key, Ph.D.

In our book, CEO Road Rules: Right Focus, Right People, Right Execution, we interviewed over 50 CEOs of primarily privately companies. What we discovered was that for many, building a company together with a team of people was mentioned as one of the greatest fulfillments of being at the helm. The price that some pay in the form of illness, divorce, estrangement from children and other catastrophic events can be significant unless you learn to apply the best practices from growing a business to your personal life as well.

The success patterns we observed in our interviews and in our work with entrepreneurs and mid-size companies fall into three broad areas: Right Focus (having a clear and concise mission, vision and values along with knowing what you can be best at); Right People (attracting and retaining talented and emotionally intelligent people and providing them coaching and rewards along the way); and Right Execution (defining key result areas and measures, implementing your plan and "living the values" while holding everyone, including the CEO, accountable for results).  Where does this fit into a work-life plan, especially for those who don't run their own companies?

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