Have you ever been in a leadership meeting that was such a waste of time that you started to calculate the hourly burn rate of that meeting? I recently participated in one that I estimated at a $3,000 meeting!

Many organizations could save hours each month by improving the productivity of their leadership meetings and reaching decisions faster. Well-run leadership meetings are critical to the success, efficiency, and health of every organization.

“No action, activity or process is more central to a healthy organization than the meeting… Good meetings are the origin of cohesion, clarity and communication.” Patrick Lencioni – The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business

Here are 10 ways to improve your leadership meetings and make them more impactful.

1. Every meeting needs to have a clear purpose or set of objectives.

Based on the purpose of the meeting, ask yourself who should attend the meeting and what topics should be covered.

2. Always prepare an agenda and identify the desired outcome for each topic.

Preparing an agenda in advance keeps the meeting from being a waste of time for everyone. When determining what goes on the agenda, ask, “Does this agenda topic involve everyone present, or could it be handled in a 1:1 meeting or a smaller group?” If you don’t have time to prepare an agenda in advance, take the first 5-10 minutes of the meeting to develop one by asking everyone to agree on the top priorities.

It is also important to decide on the desired outcome for each topic on the agenda. Three of the most common outcomes are:

Decide – These items are the highest priority and most productive use of leadership meetings. Spend the most time here.
Discuss – These are areas where you need input even if you are not ready to make a final decision.
Update – Keep these to a minimum. It is better to send updates in advance of the meeting and then allow a Q&A time for things that were unclear or require discussion.

3. Separate operational and strategic issues.

Strategic topics are often best handled in special meetings in order to allow adequate time for discussion.

4. Start by asking everyone to answer a personal question.

Beginning your meeting by asking everyone to answer a person question (such as “What did you do this past weekend?”) helps to build personal connection among the team and sets an expectation of participation by everyone. A leadership meeting is not a spectator sport.

5. Require pre-reading.

One of best meeting time savers is to have updates emailed ahead of time and then ask for questions about them during the meeting. This pre-reading allows everyone to come prepared with the background for the decisions and discussions. If you don’t have time to send the pre-read in advance (or if people haven’t read it), do what Jeff Bezos implemented at Amazon. He takes a five minute “study hall” at the beginning of the meeting so everyone can read the background information before discussing it.

6. Capture action points during the meeting and review them at the end.

Capturing and reviewing action points ensures clarity and alignment. And if a subsequent decision must be made, identify who has authority to make that decision.

7. Remember that the goal is for the best idea to win (regardless of whose idea it is).

Set meeting ground rules in advance that will ensure maximum participation in the meeting, such as everyone gets the chance to speak, one person speaks at a time, seek to understand each speaker, etc. The goal here is for healthy debate.

It is also important to have a robust decision-making process. No team makes the right decision every time, but having a good process increases the odds of making a good one.

8. As the senior leader, you should speak last to avoid group-think.

Ideally, the whole group should decide the path forward, but as the leader, you may need to make the final decision if they don’t agree.

9. Keep time limited.

After two hours, meetings become much less productive. Don’t hesitate to take topics offline or assign them to a subcommittee. Always keep in mind the “opportunity cost” – what else could people be doing with this time?

10. Find ways to inject some humor into meetings.

Humor during meetings helps to keep people relaxed and engaged. As Andrew Carnegie once said, “There is little success where there is little laughter.”

Leadership team meetings set the tone of an organization. So great leaders of great organizations should plan and orchestrate great meetings. “Be a pro at what you do. No one shows-up to meetings of the Unsuccessful Skydivers Club.” - Ryan Lilly

What have you found helpful in leading effective meetings? Contact us to learn how our consultants can help you improve the health of your leadership team.

Gray Wirth has served more than 30 years as a leader in corporate, nonprofit, small business, and military contexts. He has successfully led organizations ranging from 100 to 3,100 employees. Gray has lived and worked in five different countries, been a CEO, and accumulated more than 25 years of experience on nonprofit and for-profit boards. He brings experience in executive coaching, strategic planning, and advising boards of directors and business owners. As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), Gray helps business owners plan in advance for future transitions to ensure that their business, personal, and financial objectives will be achieved. Gray is a U.S. Army veteran and holds a B.S. from Cornell University, an M.B.A. from Harvard University, and an M.A.R. from Westminster Theological Seminary.