Like most leaders, my time is always limited, and as my organisation has grown, I've found it harder to maintain good communication with all my teams.
I used to spend all day every day in meetings but wasn’t getting the outcomes I wanted. I decided to make a change, and it turned everything around. These are the five meetings that I now structure my whole calendar around.
1. The Status Update – One for the start of each week, this meeting is about accountability; not for you to hold your team accountable, but for them to hold each other accountable.
This meeting is to debrief, get across the plan for the coming week and discuss any obstacles.
2. The All-Hands Meeting – An opportunity for you and your subleaders to communicate updates to everyone, recognise key milestones and acknowledge hard work. Attended either in person or remotely, these meetings provide transparency.
Messages should be carefully curated to ensure they are relevant and engaging, and leaders should be prepared to answer questions that arise from the team.
3. The One-on-One – As the name suggests, these meetings are between you and your direct reports. They are used for managing performance and personal development.
Don’t micromanage or focus on operational tasks. Instead, reflect on challenges, identify how to improve and clarify priorities.
Make an effort to understand your people's motivation.
4. The Retrospective – A classic meeting to gather feedback. These meetings are about listening and allowing the team to be honest in a safe environment. DO NOT PROBLEM SOLVE! Just listen.
Openly discuss: What went well? What didn’t go well? How can we improve?
Acknowledge the successes, hear the frustrations and discuss how to improve.
5. The Friday Wins – Time for recognition. Allow all your teams to discuss or demonstrate their achievements for the week. Encourage everyone to celebrate the wins, no matter how small.
Create connections between your teams, keep it light and finish the week with the positives.
This meeting is my favourite.
TAKEAWAY: So, what do you do now? Do what I did – restructure your calendar, take the lead and improve your communication and your organisation.