Upwards Forward

Meetings are important. They are opportunities to boost success.

Yet oftentimes they are dreaded and can feel like a waste of time.

So make a change and make them count.

Before sharing two ways to transform meetings, answer these questions about yours:

• What grade would you give your meetings and why?
• What is your team saying about your meetings?
• Are you accomplishing all that you desire through your meetings?

W.I.N. at Meetings and Attain the C.A.L.L.

Sharing W.I.N.’s regularly fosters relational health and a positive culture. This can be done in seconds or minutes. They can focus on personal life or work.

• Win: share a recent “win”
• Intentional: share what needs intentionality now
• Need: share a pressing need

Create meeting rhythms to ensure that the urgent does not distract from what are most important and to keep culture lively. These can and should be updated as work and demands change. For example, one of my staff teams currently keeps a C.A.L.L rhythm, focussing on one letter per week each month.

• Collaborate: a meeting to collaborate as a team, giving updates, providing feedback, and brainstorming
• Amplify: a meeting to discuss what each department/area needs to “turn-up” or “turn down”, and then to highlight the big-picture (i.e. vision, season, what’s important now, etc.)
• Leadership: a meeting designed to equip, train, and inspire people to succeed
• Liquid: a meeting that can be used, or not, for anything (i.e. fun, event planning, etc.)

Be creative and have fun with it. I introduced the rhythms using props such as a pallet, a speaker, a towel, and a glass of water to help people remember and to set the tone moving forward.

What are some of your favorite meeting tips?