The best meeting : 10 minutes, no water bottles, no chairs, no tables
Monday, January 12, 2015 at 12:20PM At a client workplace this morning I saw a group of colleagues heading off to their Monday morning meeting. They were all carrying note pads and pens and water bottles full to the brim. Into the meeting room they walked, they shut the door, sat down and they got into two hours of ..... yawn.
I'm working with them to help them become quicker collaborators, clearer communicators and faster problem solvers.
The first thing we will 'delete' (before we create or add to a 'do' list) is their lengthy Monday morning meeting.
Starting tomorrow they'll be having a daily stand up, or a huddle; a quick (5 - 15 mins) standing meeting that reports on what each individual is working on and if there are any impediments to them getting that done today.
They'll meet again the next day, same type of meeting. And the day after, and every working day onward.
This 'stand up' approach to meetings is efficient, quick, clear, focused, progressive and helps get stuff done.
It's a no nonsense, no blah-blah and no bullish*t approach to producing outcomes and getting over hurdles.
Borrowed from the worlds of agile and scrum and highly effective in software development, the daily stand up answers three questions and everyone reports in on them, quickly:
- What did I accomplish yesterday?
- What will I do today?
- What obstacles are impeding my progress?
A team in financial services I helped set up these meetings got started, but then they started shifting the time of the meetings to 10am and midday and then sometimes it didn't happen.
The key is same time, every day, no matter who is or isn't there. The meetings get people used to communicating frequently, face to face and clearly.
It's so great to see a team get some momentum with this approach. They're relieved at the time they're saving; they're motivated by the progress they can see they're making.
And the team leader can see quickly which areas need their input and leadership to unblock or remove impediments.
You don't need a meeting room. Stand up in your working area.
Try it at home. Have a daily stand up meeting at home to work out what's happening today and what obstacles are in the way.
There's so much more to read and learn about stand ups. Start with this awesome piece from Jason Yip on Martin Fowler's website and you'll find plenty of insights, learning and tips on how to make it more than just about standing up.
Your team's culture and collaborative effectiveness can change. This is one strong way to impact and lead that change.
Will you stand up?