by Mark McClanahan
Do people in your organization complain about meetings? If so, maybe that’s because of how they’re run.
Like many organizations, Mosby Building Arts has meetings for various reasons. We know as a management team that our job is to run successful meetings, and the quality of the meetings is a direct reflection of our leadership abilities. Well-run meetings promote good company culture. Poorly run meetings do the opposite.
We embrace some key elements to make our meetings successful. These include agendas, purpose statements, parking lots and the right people.
Agendas may seem obvious, but many organizations don’t use them effectively. The agendas should have a start and stop time with times for each agenda item. Having a meeting without clear times is inconsiderate to people. The agenda should also spell out the purpose of the meeting and include each attendee’s name.
The purpose of the meeting is important to keep everyone aligned. It helps drive the communication during the meeting. Anything that diverts from the purpose gets put on the parking lot.
The parking lot is a piece of paper that sits on the meeting room table. During the meeting, attendees write down off-topic items as they are brought up. These are things that everyone wants to discuss at a later date or, if time permits, at the end of the meeting.
One of the most important elements of a meeting is the right people being present. The right people should include anyone who can contribute value to the discussion and/or needs to be in the loop regarding the topic of the meeting. By having the right people there, the chances of a successful meeting are increased, especially when open and honest dialogue is embraced.
Mark McClanahan (mmcclanahan@callmosb.com or 314.909.1800) is the president at Mosby Building Arts.
Submitted 7 years 340 days ago