The Best Weekly Team Meetings: 3 Formats That Work
Leaders waste hours in unproductive meetings every week. The right three meetings can cut that waste and build momentum. These three meetings might be the solution to eliminate several others and facilitate better productivity and outcomes, which should be the purpose of any meeting.
I am going to state up front, the one meeting not listed here that I still think is necessary (when done correctly) is the regular one-on-one meetings. Whether those are weekly or every other week, nothing replaces specific time dedicated to working with an individual direct report or key partner. They should have their own specific purpose and agenda.
I have covered general meeting types in the past, but these three are purpose-specific meetings that you can have defined agendas for even before you get into them. Let’s take a look at what these are and how they can help set your team up for success.
Status and Planning Meeting
This is a straight-forward one. My guess is that most leaders have some version of this already. However, are you getting from it what you and your team need? This is likely a Monday or morning or even a Friday afternoon scheduled meeting. This meeting combines three core elements for planning and knowing where things stand.
What were the successes from the week (last week if on Monday)
What is critical for next week (this week, if on Monday)
What are your weekend plans (what did you do over the weekend if on Monday) I like adding in the personal element to ensure the team gets to be themselves for a portion of this meeting as well. I, personally, think I would schedule this on a Friday, either late morning or early afternoon, to really round out the week. Again, your approach may be different based on your situation. But even in a store environment, an early Friday afternoon meeting is a great place to align on key business days coming up and the week ahead. You may just change the discussion around what people are doing and when.
The simple agenda allows for recognition (successes), planning (critical for next week), and engagement and connection (what are your plans). This can be a high energy, productive meeting each time by keeping it simple and moving. If people see obstacles or concerns from critical items for next week, have a plan on when and how these get addressed. Are they captured in this meeting and discussed at a different time? That would eliminate getting bogged down in solutions or discussions during this meeting. You may even be able to keep this meeting to 30 minutes.
Productivity and Training Meeting
This could be an excellent mid-week meeting. It is a combination of a check in on progress and barriers people may be experiencing, but also an opportunity to weave in some training and idea-sharing on what is working well to get things done. Let the team set the agenda so there is discussion about the topics that they want to discuss together and with you.
This makes this more about workflow, versus just a catch-up and progress meeting. It truly can be about productivity and how everyone can work better to get to the results that the team is seeking. For topics that require some planning or facilitation, ensure those are built in advance so you or others can be prepared for the conversation.
Open Office Hour Meeting
This is different from the one-on-one meetings you should have (noted above), but allows the team to connect directly with you when they know you will be available. This could be a Monday (late) morning or early afternoon session that allows the team to get some of your time to discuss what they need for their work. I am a big fan of open office hours for many situations. It is a great way to cut down on the number of emails, help people get quicker answers, and can even be made available to cross-functional partners. When they know when they can have a few minutes of your time, it can accelerate progress on projects and eliminate confusion that comes from the back and forth of email.
This will not fully replace the chance conversations that come up. Additionally, the open office hour may not be enough time for other situations that require a longer discussion. But at least by starting in the open office session, both parties will know what the follow-up meeting is about and what needs to get solved. I see that as a win in itself.
As with most things, there will not be a one size fits all for these. Take the concepts from each of these and make them work for you, your team, and the current situation. The days of the week might change or shift based on your environment. In office settings, it is easy to get trapped by the Monday through Friday thinking. That doesn’t always have to be the case, especially if you work with or support a team that doesn’t work Monday through Friday. And for Store Managers that are always going and their business is open seven days a week, you may need to adjust differently for your team. Be flexible, but leverage the concepts of what each of these represent. Run these three meetings with discipline and you’ll cut wasted time, sharpen execution, and strengthen team connection. That’s the difference between meetings people dread and meetings that make a difference.
How could you incorporate these three meeting types into your workflow?
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