Ah…the dreaded Monday morning leadership team meeting looms each week as something most people hate. No one can blame them. Most of these meetings consist of discussions of the same problems that have limited progress for many months or even years. But it’s generally not the problems themselves that limit growth, but the meetings.
Our clients tell us all the time about how they can’t seem to resolve any of the issues they face despite countless meetings to address them. The solution is having your leadership team master a Level 10 Meeting Agenda. In short, this meeting has a few constants that make it very productive, and just one aspect that changes each week…the list of Issues.
Here’s how it works.
The Level 10 Meeting Agenda is ALWAYS the same. It occurs the same day and time each week, and lasts the same amount of time: NO EXCEPTIONS! That consistency alone makes this a productive meeting. It starts on time, ends on time which allows schedules to be planned for everything else during the day.
The agenda is:
Check In: a brief statement from each of the leaders on some good news…professional or personal or both. It breaks the barriers of communication down to a point where your leadership team is aware of other’s activities during the past week.
Scorecard: A review of the metrics the team tracks regularly to see where things stand. This is NOT a time to defend your numbers, state objections or “posture,” but a time to simply state the numbers you need to track.
Rocks: Maybe this is a “foreign” term, but it refers to an agreed upon “short list” of the most important things the leadership team must accomplish over a 90 day period. This time is spent reviewing how your Rocks are progressing.
Client/Employee Headlines: This is your opportunity to focus on any headlines (positive or negative) for any of your clients and/or employees. Bring good news or troubling news to the table so all can hear.
To Do List: A status report on assignments schedule from last week’s meeting to see what is finished and what is still on the list for next week.
Issues: Here is the bulk of your time invested in this weekly meeting. First, simply list any and all issues on the leadership team’s minds. Again, no “posturing” or explanation…simply state the issue at hand. Then, prioritize the list with just three to tackle in that order. Ask the person who presented the issue to now describe the core of the issue…then discuss it completely to a point of resolution or action item. Mark it down if it’s a To Do for next week. Move on to the next issues. Don’t worry if you can’t finish all the issues this week…there is always NEXT week.
Conclude: finish on time!!! Conclude the meeting with an evaluation of the work you did as a team that meeting. Rate it from 1-10…with 10 being the best. You should aim for highest number which should indicate the team is working on solving your issues and moving forward. Also, make sure you agree as a team to cascade any information you’ve discussed down through your organization.
This system was created by Gino Wickman, the author of Traction and the Entrepreneurial Operating System. Gino’s method is a marvelous, yet simple system to help companies gain momentum and traction. I’m a “believer.”