How Come Meetings Get Such A Bad Rap?

Dirty Secrets of Small Business

In This Episode

If you’re looking to suck the oxygen out of the room, just tell people you’re looking to have more meetings. Why do meetings get such a bad rap? Our experience shows that most meetings in business are poorly run. So what happens is most companies instead choose not to have regular meetings. If a meeting does happen it creates a lot of buzz within the organization.

So how do you reverse this aversion to meetings in your business? It starts with getting regularly scheduled meetings with set agendas. Pick a meeting to start with. There are two types of meetings: status/update OR working meetings. Do your best not to mix these two. Nothing will create more angst and frustration than sitting in a status meeting that devolves into a problem solving working meeting where two people have hijacked things while the rest of the people sit and watch.

We suggest starting with either a daily touch with your key people that lasts 5-10 minutes or a weekly meeting. Both of these would be status/update meetings vs. working meetings. Start with setting the time/date of the meeting. If it’s a daily meeting, pick a time of the day and stick with it (e.g. 8am every day). If it’s weekly, lock in the day and time (e.g. 2pm on Tuesdays).

One of the biggest benefits of regular meetings is it minimizes interruptions, especially from the owner! Keep something else in mind as well, anyone who is in the meeting should have something to say as well. Another often overlooked side benefit of regular meetings is the chance to have people present. They will grow each time they present themselves and their thoughts and you as the business owner will gain more confidence in your key people as you get insights for how they think and present themselves.

Get those meetings started, either a daily or weekly one to kick things off! Don’t tell us you don’t have time for it, make the time for important things.

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

Debbie Downer from Saturday Night Live (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Downer)

Mickey Goldmill from Rocky (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Goldmill)

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