Meetings Should Matter

Oct 1, 2025

Death by Meeting

This is the title of Patrick Lencioni’s 2004 book. It proclaims what many of us think but don’t say out loud: Our meetings can often be ineffective and a waste of precious time. What comes to mind is distinct memories of an organization in my past where we had meetings to have meetings.

Ever had a meeting, and thought, “what was the point?” I already know the answer. It is merely a punch in the throat to get us thinking about how we can make them more effective. How can we build out formats that deliver a better use of time with greater intention, and at the end…have a point?

Maybe we should write a new book, like Success by Meeting. What would the differentiator be? I don’t think it is in the vision or the inspiration wrapped around a cause. Most organizations have a clarity of purpose. I believe the pivot is the WHY into HOW. It is in the clarity of action. I believe we are great at ideation, but executing those ideas… is the gap in meetings.

Meetings must have a Blueprint 

That is what Lencioni was alluding to. We transform from one type of meeting to another. To a more disciplined meeting model that reduces ambiguity and waste by fostering passion, directing purpose, AND THEN culminating in an aligned course of action.

He proposed a four-part meeting model to improve engagement and productivity: a Daily Check-In for quick alignment (under 10 mins), a Weekly Tactical Meeting to address immediate issues (45-90 mins), a Monthly Strategic Meeting for in-depth discussion of critical organizational topics (2-4 hours), and a Quarterly or Bi-Annual Off-Site Meeting for high-level strategy and team development (1-2 days).

I wholeheartedly believe the most effective meeting format is the Check-In Meeting. A consistent meeting that provides a “pulse check” forum with team members (a.k.a. the implementors and front-liner contributors doing the work in real time). I also believe it not only precedes all the other meetings, but it also exists as a necessary meeting format in the midst of implementation, and especially after all the meetings to ensure follow-through. Adoption will always be the critical element of any endeavor. Checking in keeps whatever the thing is top of mind and directs specific action towards its’ successful output.

Bottom line, a meeting is only as good as the action it directs. So, when we have a meeting, we need to have a point. It’s so much better for the attendee.

How important are the components of meetings? 

Aristotle famously stated, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Yes, this concept can be true that a combined whole creates something more meaningful or powerful than its individual components could achieve on their own. As it pertains to meetings, I contend “The whole is made great because of the sum of its parts”. It is what we promote and permit in the meeting that creates a culture of effectiveness.

Simply put, meetings must have a clear “what, why, how, and to what extent”.  Every component in that meeting must clearly answer those questions. It needs to consider an active engagement of all parties with a shared vision, cohort interaction, collaboration of insight and best practices, clear behavioral expectations, and a defined follow-up and follow through action plan. This can happen in 10 minutes or 2 days. Time isn’t the thing; it’s clarity of action. As Marie Forleo said, “Clarity comes from engagement, not thought”, or hosting a meeting just to talk about stuff.

We are about to have the second of our bi-annual leadership summits. We are intentionally and collaboratively looking at how we ensure the meeting has purpose and a defined action plan to follow. We are making it more an experience of sharing best practices towards the goal of clarity of action. We want people to leave inspired AND equipped to do what needs to get done. The emphasis is on the action that follows. We want the meeting attendees to all have an aligned answer to the question…what’s the point? The effectiveness will be revealed in the answer.

If you’re interested in developing effective meetings, consider the following questions.

• What is your definition of an “effective” meeting?
• How are meetings currently seen by your organization, departments, and/or team?
• What is your current blueprint for meetings?
• What elements make them effective?
• And if they are seen an “ineffective”, what needs to change?
• What is your post-meeting adoption strategy?
• If I asked someone to assess their last meeting with you, what would they say?

Executing Culture; Part Two How is it?

Sep 2, 2025

From “who?” to “how?”

Besides the obvious rearrangement of letters, these two words take us on two journeys. The first answer is what we want to find in establishing a culture by focusing on who is executing it well and why. Who Does Culture Well? That was our last blog. The second represents a reasonable follow-up. If we know ‘what’, specifically the ‘who’ with a backdrop of ‘why’, the next most important and logical question is ‘how’.  How Do We Do Culture Well?

How does an organization ensure a team member can deliver a clear set of behavioral expectations? Expectations are designed with the intention of establishing a desired cultural experience. How does it get others up to speed in knowing, executing, and even cementing these expectations into second-nature behavior?

I have always said that culture is an outcome. It is a byproduct of particular things done or not done that trigger a response in the other party. Good or bad, culture is a result of action. Actions can be what the team member does, and, perhaps most important, what the leaders do to guide and empower the team member to execute those preferred actions. Which means it comes down to choices. How do we influence the choice?

Teach Me, Show Me, Let Me 

I like simple. If I have a desired culture in mind and want to ensure a consistent living out of the behaviors I expect to make that happen, then I need a way to help direct the actions of others. A simple way made up of three principles—three concepts that cultivate a type of knowing into a doing process for making culture happen…even if I, as the leader, am not present to see it happen.

Teach me is pure upload. It gives the team member as much input as possible to impact the output. Help them to know and understand the vision. Share the why and the distinct reason for this being a thing worth pursuing. This would include the ubiquitous WIIFM and all additional benefits to all parties involved.  Think ‘greater good’ and not just because someone said so, or maybe through stories about specific examples that provide context and reflect on what good looks like. Then, clarify the expectations. Make them clear, make them real, and make them easy to do.

Show Me is demonstrating what good looks like. It is the process of practice, practice, practice. It’s more than just practice though.  It is about practicing, getting feedback and practicing again. It is also talking about all the possibilities the expected behaviors will encounter.  Maybe presenting different scenarios for a broader perspective. Maybe through role plays and simulations. Where practice meets problem solving and creative thinking. And then we show them in real time in real situations.

Let Me is what it sounds like, and more. It is allowing the individual to cultivate their personality into the most authentic way to deliver the desired expectations. It’s also giving them something to aim at. Some type of target to guide desired outcomes. It becomes stronger when encouragement, observation, and coaching with feedback and correction comes alongside the efforts. AND perhaps most important, it’s trusting them to do it.

Bottom line, the more we learn, practice, and engage in the possibilities, the more we cement second nature behavior.  Creating a moment when a team member can pull from memory and feel confident to deliver a culture experience that is not a mistake or accident. Something that’s engrained.

How many of you have been told to do something, but not given the how to do it? 

We can create the most amazing mission statements. We can craft compelling guiding principles and core values. We can define our vision and the type of culture we have or want to have. At the end of the day, telling me what you want me to do and why will never yield the full measure of telling me how you want me to do it, as well as how much and how often. Remember, max input produces max output, and HOW goes a long way in establishing and executing a culture.

If you’re interested in growing a HOW culture, consider some of the following questions.

• Remember the definition of culture, how well do others know it?
• What kind of environment do you have in creating understanding?
• How often is it mentioned, developed, and practiced?
• How are others exposed to what is possible through your modeling behavior?
• How are you promoting observation, feedback, coaching, measurement, and recognition?
• Do others feel safe and trusted in their delivery?
• How do you reinforce the culture over time and repetition?

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