Kc Rossi (00:00:02) - Welcome to Heart Glow CEO™, the podcast that revolutionizes the journey of high achievers, entrepreneurs, and CEOs, guiding you from the treadmill of people pleasing and burnout to becoming purpose-driven, profitable powerhouses.
I'm Kc Rossi, your host and Integrative Leadership Coach embarking on a mission to foster self-worth among female leaders who will illuminate the path for future generations. In this podcast, we're not just redefining success, we're crafting a blueprint for wholistic achievement on your terms.
Join me as we navigate the realms of self-leadership, exploring competence, trust, presence, and soul alignment. Uncover the secrets through enlightening expert interviews, gripping success stories, and actionable tips that empower you to shatter outdated paradigms. Say goodbye to the hustle and grind culture that's compromised your well-being and authenticity. It's time to unhook from the old norms and embrace a new era of leadership. Step into your brilliance and let's achieve holistic success together. Welcome to Heart Glow CEO™, where transformation meets the modern leader. Let's dive in!
Hello, hello and welcome back to another Heart Glow CEO™ episode.
Kc Rossi (00:01:33) - You most likely know that I've recently invited clients and listeners to request podcast topics; a curiosity, a challenge, or any area that you're motivated to optimize. The questions are coming in fast and furious, which is great! If you know anything about Human Design. I am a Manifesting Generator. This means that my system works best responding to something. So this energy exchange is working out perfectly. So thank you.
Today, we are diving into a recent client question. She's an emerging leader eager to rise to the call of courageous leadership. She asks "Kc, how can I hold effective and engaging team meetings?" I love questions like this. It illustrates the motivation to optimize to be the best leader she can be. And those are exactly the type of clients that I love to serve big-hearted individuals dedicated to becoming their best selves. Other than self-actualization, which is inspiring enough, intentional self-development spreads a positive ripple effect throughout your inner and outer tribe. It flows from your personal to professional life, and that is super exciting.
Kc Rossi (00:02:52) - Whether you're a seasoned leader or new to the role, mastering the art of conducting productive and stimulating team meetings can significantly enhance your team's performance and morale. First and foremost, let's talk about the purpose of meetings. Meetings should be designed to share information, brainstorm ideas, solve problems, and make decisions. However, many meetings fail to achieve these goals due to poor planning, lack of structure, or disengagement. Maybe a recent meeting is coming to mind that was a snore bore. I can think of one right now where I was admittedly clock-watching.
Research by Harvard Business Review shows that 71% of senior managers consider meetings unproductive and inefficient. 71%!! I'm guessing that you're nodding your head when you hear this stat. When was the last time that you felt bored and uninspired in a meeting? This statistic underscores the need for a strategic approach to meetings. You know that to be successful, it requires some degree of strategy: an intention, plan, and action, and a fun and interesting meeting is no different. To ensure your meetings are both effective and engaging start with clear objectives before scheduling a meeting. Ask yourself, what do I want to achieve? I mean, this sounds so very simple, but I think sometimes we just get caught up in such a tremendous to-do list that we overstep the simple and the obvious. So, before scheduling a meeting, ask yourself what do I want to achieve?
Communicate these objectives to your team in advance so everyone knows the purpose and can come prepared. A well-defined agenda is a critical component here. Outline the topics to be discussed, allocate time for each, and share this agenda with your team ahead of time. Now preparation is key. As the meeting organizer, you should come prepared with all necessary materials, including data, reports, and any other relevant documents. Encourage your team members to do the same. This not only ensures a smooth flow of discussion, but also shows respect for everyone's time.
Now, speaking of time, let's talk about punctuality and time management. Start and end your meetings on time. This simple practice sets a professional tone and demonstrates respect for your team's schedule.
Essential areas that I help my clients with are time management and healthy boundary setting. This tip helps move the needle in the right direction on both.
According to a study by Bain and Company. Organizations can free up 20% of their employee's time by cutting back on excessive, poorly managed meetings. Isn't that interesting? So be mindful of the duration. Ideally, meetings should last no more than 60 minutes. And honestly, I'm more of a fan of 30-minute meetings or more consistent 15-minute checkpoints. Studies have shown that shorter, more frequent meetings can be more effective than long, infrequent ones. According to research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Short and focused meetings lead to better decision-making and increased team productivity. Isn't that amazing? Additionally, incorporating regular brief check-ins can help maintain alignment and address issues promptly. I know when I had my chocolate manufacturing company, anybody that was a key member, so our leads on the team, we would have a 15-minute checkpoint every Monday. When we needed a longer, kind of more robust meeting where everyone that was a part of the team was participating, we would then bump it out to 45 to 60-minute meetings. That weekly checkpoint was so crucial that we were all on the same page. We could jump on something. If there was a little issue, we could jump right on it and it was timely. So I'm definitely a fan of those checkpoints.
There are so many other communication channels that we can use to check-in. Doesn't have to be face-to-face or in person. It's just really to make sure that progress is being made. So I highly recommend utilizing whatever works for you and your team that is efficient, that you actually can see results. And I really want to encourage you to think out of the box, you know, really create something that's tailored for you, your company, and your team.
Now, I've said on two nonprofit boards. A big reason why I'm no longer on either is because of the inefficient meetings and lack of swift progress. You can have all the lofty goals and big heart for a mission, but if there isn't collective implementation and action, it is a drag and a waste of time.
Kc Rossi (00:08:12) - A couple of questions you can ask yourself when prepping for a meeting. Is it necessary? Relevant? Repetitive? These simple three questions can help you edit so your info is focused and on point. I'm going to repeat those again: Is it necessary? Is it relevant? Is it repetitive?
You've most likely heard 'Communication is king and clarity is kind.' Keep this top of mind when you're delegating tasks, and don't hesitate to ask if anyone has any questions and if they know exactly "Who's on first, ?" so to speak. Meaning who's doing what, by when. Engagement is another crucial element it's important to note here. You have to be engaged first as the leader. It starts with your energy.
The last episode I spoke about emotional contagion. I invite you to listen to that to see the effect of your vibe. It absolutely dovetails into this topic as well. Once you are clear and organized, it's time to pump up your energy and get others involved. Start your meeting with a brief icebreaker or on a positive note to set an inclusive and energetic tone.
Kc Rossi (00:09:30) - Encourage participation by asking open-ended questions and actively listening to your team's input. I want to underscore that last part "actively listening to your team's input." Because many team leaders rely heavily on speaking at the team, it really is more of a monologue versus a dialogue, and that is one surefire way for people to tune out, numb out, and daydream. When you start to bring them into the picture, you care about their voice it completely changes the engagement and accountability level. So I invite you to try to openly engage the team, ask for their feedback, their input, and see what changes.
Quick Q here. How is your company culture? Do members feel comfortable sharing their ideas? If not, this will damage the effectiveness and collaborative spirit of the meeting. What can you do to improve this? Acknowledging contributions and building on ideas can help. Another tip to enhance engagement is right back to that delegation. This one word alone can make or break your experience as a leader. Whether you are a solopreneur and need to delegate to your VA or a senior manager that needs to delegate to your direct reports.
Kc Rossi (00:10:56) - Delegate, delegate, delegate my friend. I'll probably do a dedicated episode on this topic, because I've experienced firsthand and have seen my clients massively benefit from taking things off their plate. But moreover, rewriting the mindset of me, myself, and I when it comes to tasks.
Okay, back to the point. One effective technique to maintain meeting engagement is to assign roles such as facilitator, timekeeper, and note-taker. Of course, this depends on the size of your group. If you are a power team of four or even two, then obviously no need. However, for larger groups, you can play with the facilitator guiding the discussion, ensuring that everyone has a chance to speak and that the conversation stays on track. The timekeeper for monitoring the clock, ensuring that the meeting stays within the allocated time window, and a note taker for recording key points, decisions, and action items, providing a valuable reference for post-meeting follow-ups. Again, if this is new to you, where you are used to doing everything and I know as a high achieving leader, sometimes the mindset is I can do it quicker, I can do it better. It's going to take more time to get somebody on board to do it the way that I would want it done. But my friend, that is a surefire way to burn out. So go in baby steps and start to see and notice and feel the difference when it's not all on you. This really helps get others involved. It surely disperses the task burden, but it does something more. It brings a nice flow of energy and synergy. And then also side note, side benefit. You are not going to be exhausted and resentful. Which are the two results of the formula... The previous old you formula of doing everything yourself. So give it give it a shot. If you're already stepping into that, I encourage you to lean in a little bit more, because I guarantee there are probably other tasks that you can take off your plate. You want to stay right in your zone of genius, whether that is as a CEO or as a leader or manager. You want to stay right in those high-level tasks that only you know how to do in that way.
Kc Rossi (00:13:26) - Anything else that can be dispersed, I highly recommend that you do that.
Follow-up is a critical yet overlooked aspect of meetings. Summarize the key takeaways and action items at the end of the meeting. Send a follow-up email to all participants reiterating these points and assigning responsibilities with clear deadlines. This shouldn't be a book. I'm a fan of bullet points, so take out the top 3 to 5 highlights and make it easy for others to consume and remember. This not only ensures accountability but keeps the momentum going after the meeting ends. Again, if you have a big enough team for a note-taker, this can absolutely be her follow-up task.
Let's bring this to life with a specific example. Now, this may be rudimentary for some listeners, but this question came in from an emerging leader, so I want to be sure to cover all the bases so it is Uber-specific.
Here's how you could structure a meeting for maximum effectiveness. Remember, the very first thing is setting the objective.
Kc Rossi (00:14:39) - And so let's just throw out there like maybe we are. The objective is to plan a memorable appreciation event to recognize the team's hard work and dedication. So we're going to use that example for our objective. Then your step two really is planning out the agenda. You're welcome and introduction (could be five minutes or less). You can review past appreciation events and feedback (under ten minutes). Brainstorm ideas for upcoming events (under 20 minutes). Finalize the event details and assign tasks (around 20 minutes) and recap the next steps (under five minutes). So that's really kind of a simple framework that you can use. Obviously, customize it. You are a creative soul, so I have complete and utter faith in your capabilities. Now the other piece that we talked about was preparation. So really sending out that brief overview prior. And the other thing you can do. So your team is ready to contribute and they don't have a blank slate when you throw out a question, out is asked team members to come prepared with one new idea for the event.
Kc Rossi (00:15:50) - You want to be thinking about the roles. So again, if you have a big enough team, you'll be the facilitator. But then you want to have someone as your timekeeper and note-taker, so that'll keep you on track. And then as far as engagement goes, you can start with a quick roundtable where each member shares a recent positive experience or accomplishment within the team.
During the brainstorming session, you can use a digital whiteboard to visually map out ideas and encourage creative thinking. I really think this is effective. It can keep attention, in my opinion, so much more than a PowerPoint, because like begets like. And if something is dense and stagnant, the energy in the room will most likely mimic that. So keep your content fresh, focused, and with energy and you will start to see that mirroring back to you. Nice!!
Now situational awareness is a superpower. If you see that your plan is falling flat in the moment, I want to encourage you to push your growth edge to improvise, change things up, and get back on track. Knowing how to read the room will serve you in such a big way.
And then finally you have your follow-up at the end of the meeting. Recap the decisions made and the action items assigned. Send a follow-up email summarizing the discussion and outlining the next steps with clear deadlines for each task. And again, if you have a note-taker, that can be her job.
Now, these may feel like a lot of steps, but they're really not. You can, you know, even simplify this down to a three-bullet post-it note., so you can remember. And once you get the hang of the framework, you will be able to implement this flow with ease. And it's going to be so much quicker than it sounds, I promise.
So all right, let's wrap up with an inspiring quote from Steve Jobs, a master of effective meetings. He says "Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people." This quote encapsulates the essence of why we strive to make our meetings effective and engaging.
Kc Rossi (00:17:58) - It's about harnessing the collective power of your team to achieve great things together. Important basics to having an effective and engaging team meeting lie in clear objectives, thorough preparation, time management, active engagement, and diligent follow-up.
Now here is the secret key one. You can't Google and it is how you approach it. Are you bringing your authentic self to the table? No one responds to a robotic leader. We want to see your quirks, personality, and special touches. Don't be afraid to go out of the box because people will remember you for it. Whether that means a touch of music, activity, or a wacky new icebreaker. Being creative and vulnerable will bond your team.
Do not stick to a script or a routine. Mix things up. Our brains love novelty. So even if you find like a really amazing framework that works for you, I encourage you to do something slightly different each time. It'll keep you on your toes, and it will also keep your team on their toes. You can transform your meetings from dreaded obligations into powerful tools for collaboration and innovation.
Kc Rossi (00:19:19) - It all starts with mindful intention, curiosity, situational awareness, and a willingness to optimize. I hope you heard a few helpful tips on how to hold engaging and effective meetings. Let me know which one resonated with you the most that you are committed to trying this week. And if you have a topic that you'd love an episode created around dash me a note. I create these for you and it's super helpful to know exactly what you need support on the most.
Until next time my beautiful, courageous leaders...breathe joy.
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