It isn’t always easy keeping humans motivated. In other words, employee productivity has been an issue foras long as people have been employing people. Sometimes it probably feels like you are spinning your wheels – in mud – and getting nowhere but the key to boosting employee productivity lies in your leadership team. Now, I have some business coaching advice for you. Holding weekly meetings with your leadership is vital to keeping that machine oiled and running smoothly. They are like a shot in the arm that will get your team excited and ready to rock. However, there are 10 essential elements that your weekly meeting must have and if they don’t you aren’t getting as much out of them as you could.
Consistency – Your staff is comprised of humans and a curious trait of humans is that they are creatures of habit. Keep your meetings on a consistent schedule: same day, same start time, s
ame end time, and same process or agenda order.
Attendance – By making attendance mandatory you are holding your leadership accountable and pushing them to the next level. These weekly meeting are extremely important to the functionality and efficiency of your team so 100 percent attendance should be required.
Positive Start – Nobody likes a Debbie Downer and humans don’t respond well to constant criticism. Start each meeting with some good news from each team member. This works on a couple of levels. First, it allows members to share in their triumphs, it promotes transparency, and it raises the bar for other team members. Beyond that, there is actually science behind it. The positive message at the start has a positive effect on the brain which results in improved health of the entire team.
No Tangents – You might want to vent, and a little constructive criticism is fine, but know where to draw the line. Your meetings should be a tangent free zone. Report on what is important and stick to the facts. Address vitals questions including:
- Are the numbers on track?
- Are the most important priorities on track?
- Are your clients happy?
- Are your employees happy?
Accountability – Review all of the action items that your team covered and committed to in the previous meeting. Address each member individually and confirm that each item was completed or get an update on the progress for ongoing items. Hold those members accountable who dropped the ball.
Solve Issues at Hand – Devote about half of your meeting to problem solving. Identify the problems that are present, do a harms analysis, prioritize, and discuss solutions. Make it a team goal to solve 5 to 10 issues per meeting.
Get to the Root Cause – Sometimes tackling issues head on can be uncomfortable, especially if you have to call someone to the carpet for it. Still, it is imperative that you meet problems directly and don’t beat around the bush. Issues can’t be resolved if they are brushed under the rug. Some of the best, more productive meetings get a little heated and intense. Take it as a good sign.
Make the Call – While your team members should have some input, ultimately, you should be working toward a resolution. It is very easy for meetings to get mired in the debate and never come to a resolution. That is why your moderation is necessary. Once all of the sides have been heard, it is up to you, or a leader that you appoint, to make the call to end the debate and enter the resolution phase. Then your team can move into the more positive waters of deciding which way to move forward.
Seek Improvement – As your meeting draws to a close, rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being terrible and unproductive and 10 being exceptionally productive and effective. Set a goal of at least 8 for each meeting. If you aren’t hitting that goal on a regular basis, then you need to find ways to improve the effectiveness of your meetings and the process you use. Look for the areas where improvement is needed.
Great meetings lead to great teams and motivated employees. They let people know what is expected of them and that greatly improves employee morale. When morale is high and people are happy then better employee production just naturally follows.
