When you think of a meeting, what comes to mind? Boring? Repetitive? All over the place? Perhaps it feels unproductive, as studies have shown that many employees and business owners we’ve spoken with have come to the conclusion of.

Then why have meetings?

Most big and successful businesses that are growing quickly have meetings that are more productive and organized. That’s what a meeting rhythm is a schedule of productive, organized meetings that are planned in advance and have a set agenda to improve communication, efficiency, and profitability.

What Kind of Meetings Should We Have? When Should We Have Them?

Our  industry in particular should engage in daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual meetings.

Your meetings should have this in common:

• Planned in advance, with an agenda.
• Team members come prepared with their discussion items.
• Don’t allow discussions to get off topic
• Start by asking “What are your biggest wins?”

Daily Huddles

Each department gathers its team members in the morning and takes 7 – 12 minutes to discuss what they’re going to do in the day. Everyone should stand up, quickly express their needs, progress made from yesterday’s activities, production priorities, and any issue they might face today.

Weekly Project Field Coordination Meeting

Discuss open jobs and what constraints are blocking work flow.

Agenda:  

• Schedule and priorities.
• Progress, milestones, and accomplishments.
• Quality control and customer relationships.
• Field issues and crew needs.
• Job approvals, permits, inspections, or other document needs.
• Jobsite management and safety.
• Job site cleanup.

Monthly Project Meeting

Bring the managers of each business function together for a 45 - 60 minute meeting each month. Have them show you the progress on each one of their jobs.

Agenda:

• Schedule and completion dates.
• Jobsite requirements and cycle times.
• Status of change orders.
• Job Cost Reports- budget versus actual.
• AR and AP.
• Quality, safety, customer, supplier, equipment, etc.

Quarterly Management Team Meeting

Take all employees offsite for a 90 – 120 minute big-picture meeting every three months. This could be at a large office, warehouse, or other off-site facility.

Agenda:

• Company’s direction.
• What’s been successful and what’s not.
• Biggest challenges.
• Overall company progress and any  new goals.
• New or updated procedures.
• Questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions.
• Employee awards.

Annual Meeting

Bring your management team off-site for a 1-2 day meeting. This could be at a hotel or a meeting room.

Agenda:

• Year-end company performance.
• Where is the company right now? Where is it heading? How are we getting there?
• What are our Big, Hairy Audacious Goals? Develop new ones if necessary.

Summary

Having planned, transparent, productive meetings is imperative to the growth and profitability of your company. Employees will experience greater job satisfaction, will be more engaged, and will be more driven to achieve goals. Good, productive meetings are what’s going to improve communication, efficiency, and profitability in your business.

Are you taking steps to make your meetings a success? To help you get in the rhythm  of running a profitable business, Business Development Associates (BDA) is offering you a a free Profitability Assessment. Contact John Capponi to schedule an initial discovery call to discuss your profitability.