An article about meetings? SHOOT. ME. NOW.
 | I know. I know. You have all been there. Some meetings just drain your energy! Meetings are perceived as one of the biggest wastes of time. For way too many companies…they are! However, if done properly, they can be a very effective tool used to simplify communication, coordination and decision-making on areas that involve more than one person |
Of the many reasons why meetings are so energy-sucking is because the meetings have limited structure, there are not clearly defined areas of responsibility or standard practices for performing routine activities. Not every decision to be made requires a committee, nor attended by everyone in the business. To become more effective with your family business’s meeting structure, answering the who, what, when, why and where can be very simple to execute:
• How many and what types of meetings are applicable to your family farm?
• Who should attend and participate in the various meetings?
• What items are appropriate for any given meeting?
• When and where will meetings take place?
• Why are we having this meeting and what are the expected outcomes?
• How many and what types of meetings are applicable to your family farm?
• Who should attend and participate in the various meetings?
• What items are appropriate for any given meeting?
• When and where will meetings take place?
• Why are we having this meeting and what are the expected outcomes?
"Meetings get a bad rap, and deservedly so... |
Agenda setting is a key to making sure that meetings remain focused on the appropriate topics for those attending. Before moving along, it is prudent to talk about who sets the agenda. If you have adopted the practice of defining roles and responsibilities inside your business, this is another to add to someone’s job description. So, let’s assume that the agendas for the various types of meetings in your business will be the responsibility of a designated person…a meeting planner. The meeting planner has the task of recognizing that inside almost every business there are employees, managers and owners. Agenda items need to be relevant to those attending in their various capacities (staff, manager, owner).
Staff meetings are generally intended to discuss tactics and day-to-day business activities. These will vary in frequency. On the family farm, there is often a need for short, quick daily “stand-up” meetings to discuss immediate needs and planning. Daily “Stand-Up” meetings are just that…standing. Don’t sit down. The goal is to make it quick, efficient and productive. Weekly meetings may be more appropriate during slower times and can be used for outlining goals for the week and assigning activities. Ad-hoc meetings can be called for training and internal announcement type information.
Management meetings are intended to explore bigger picture issues like planning, defining job responsibilities, coordination of resources, deciding on priorities, determining how to gather and analyze data and employee reviews and training programs. These meetings can be weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. It depends on the agenda and the desired outcome of the meeting.
Ownership and board meetings should be conducted at least annually and involve key stakeholders, owners and spouses. Many times, there is a need for these to take place quarterly and monthly, especially as your family business becomes more complex. Whether they are involved in day-to-day activities or not, spouses are a big part of ownership meetings for family businesses. They act as silent partner in the business by virtue of being married to an owner. These meetings are appropriate for strategic planning issues, general policy setting for operations, dividend distribution and management compensation.
Staff meetings are generally intended to discuss tactics and day-to-day business activities. These will vary in frequency. On the family farm, there is often a need for short, quick daily “stand-up” meetings to discuss immediate needs and planning. Daily “Stand-Up” meetings are just that…standing. Don’t sit down. The goal is to make it quick, efficient and productive. Weekly meetings may be more appropriate during slower times and can be used for outlining goals for the week and assigning activities. Ad-hoc meetings can be called for training and internal announcement type information.
Management meetings are intended to explore bigger picture issues like planning, defining job responsibilities, coordination of resources, deciding on priorities, determining how to gather and analyze data and employee reviews and training programs. These meetings can be weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. It depends on the agenda and the desired outcome of the meeting.
Ownership and board meetings should be conducted at least annually and involve key stakeholders, owners and spouses. Many times, there is a need for these to take place quarterly and monthly, especially as your family business becomes more complex. Whether they are involved in day-to-day activities or not, spouses are a big part of ownership meetings for family businesses. They act as silent partner in the business by virtue of being married to an owner. These meetings are appropriate for strategic planning issues, general policy setting for operations, dividend distribution and management compensation.
There are several reasons for having a meeting. The expected outcomes from various agenda items fall into one of three categories: 1) Give information, 2) Get information, or 3) Develop options or make decisions. These need to be clear when agendas are shared with attendees. If attendees are not clear, some may be trying to make a decision while others are simply sharing information. Does that make sense?
Some best practices for helping ensure productive meetings include trying to make sure that attendees have balanced participation. Locate the meeting where business can be conducted without interruption, including cell phone usage during the meeting! Whoops, I let that pet-peeve out of the box. Toddlers should not be present and the TV should be turned off. Holding meetings at the kitchen table is not the best practice and is conducive to interruptions and perceptions of low seriousness. Location is important. Rotating locations can add some variety and helps level the “home turf” advantages that can subconsciously creep into the situation. Schedule meetings when they are appropriate. Don’t schedule a 4 hour long-term planning session during the middle of harvest.
Keeping meeting notes and using them as a basis for follow-up helps eliminate those decisions that are sometimes made where no one ever gets busy with the specific action items. Meeting notes also help create an environment of personal accountability. If everyone knows that there will be follow-up, odds increase that the work will actually get performed. You may have experienced it – everyone is excited about an idea, but it never gets implemented because the “who”, “what” and “when” of the idea were never decided upon. Several months later, the same discussion often takes place again…a complete waste of time.
General Rules for Business Meetings and Guidelines for Personal Accountability can provide serious productivity and accomplishment to various meetings in your business. Coming to an agreement on these things before holding meetings is a best practice and something we can explore in the near future.
Some best practices for helping ensure productive meetings include trying to make sure that attendees have balanced participation. Locate the meeting where business can be conducted without interruption, including cell phone usage during the meeting! Whoops, I let that pet-peeve out of the box. Toddlers should not be present and the TV should be turned off. Holding meetings at the kitchen table is not the best practice and is conducive to interruptions and perceptions of low seriousness. Location is important. Rotating locations can add some variety and helps level the “home turf” advantages that can subconsciously creep into the situation. Schedule meetings when they are appropriate. Don’t schedule a 4 hour long-term planning session during the middle of harvest.
Keeping meeting notes and using them as a basis for follow-up helps eliminate those decisions that are sometimes made where no one ever gets busy with the specific action items. Meeting notes also help create an environment of personal accountability. If everyone knows that there will be follow-up, odds increase that the work will actually get performed. You may have experienced it – everyone is excited about an idea, but it never gets implemented because the “who”, “what” and “when” of the idea were never decided upon. Several months later, the same discussion often takes place again…a complete waste of time.
General Rules for Business Meetings and Guidelines for Personal Accountability can provide serious productivity and accomplishment to various meetings in your business. Coming to an agreement on these things before holding meetings is a best practice and something we can explore in the near future.
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