We all have been there- the weekly Monday morning field meeting. All key people from the job site reporting on progress. If you’re like most contractors, you’ve probably had your share of less than effective team meetings. Maybe they ran too long or didn’t do much to improve the schedule or solve issues.
The same holds true for many of the in-house or smaller team meetings with your staff and crew.
Do Not Waste Valuable Time!
In the article from Forbes, Why Most Meetings Fail Before They Even Begin it stated that “70% of all meetings are a waste of time.”
Team meetings can be extremely valuable – but only if they are well-organized and focused. Here are a few tips to help make your team meetings more effective.
Always Have a Clear Agenda
A sure-fire way to make meetings last forever and waste valuable time is to go into one completely unprepared.
This may seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many meetings start late or run over due to a lack of an agenda.
Before calling a meeting, ask yourself – What exactly do we want to achieve by the end of this meeting?
Take the time to write out a clear and concise agenda that includes time estimates for each topic and send it out to all your crew members or attendees a couple of days before they have to attend.
If there is an item on the agenda that you know will require more time, be sure to allot enough time for it in your overall schedule.
This will help everyone be on the same page, they will know what to expect, and keep the discussion focused and on track.
Start and End on Time
One of the quickest ways to frustrate everyone in attendance is to start and end meetings late.
It’s important to be mindful of the time that your crews are taking out of their day to attend your meeting. This is valuable not only for your crew members but also to keep your jobs on schedule so that they can be completed on time.
Time is money! and in this sense – literally.
Establishing the norms for your meetings is critical. You do not want to set a poor example for all future events. Set a timer, and appoint a timekeeper to help you stay on track.
Focus on What is Required to Achieve Goals or Reach Results
Meetings should be a time to come together and brainstorm solutions, not just air grievances.
If you find that your team meetings are bogged down by complaints or negativity, it might be time to rethink the way that you’re running them.
Try to focus on solutions rather than problems, and allow everyone to have a voice.
This can be difficult, but it’s important to keep the meeting on track and moving forward.
Make sure that everyone leaves with a clear understanding of what they need to do to help move the project forward.
Have Productive Conversations
When meetings go off track, it’s often because people are talking about things that don’t matter.
Try to focus the conversation on what is relevant to the project at hand. This may require some practice, but it will be worth it in the long run.
If someone starts to veer off-topic, politely remind them of the agenda and ask them to save that for a future meeting.
This will help keep everyone on track and avoid wasting time.
Be Consistent and Have Meetings on a Regular Schedule
Consistency is key in so many aspects of your contracting business and that includes your meetings.
One way to ensure that your meetings are effective is to be consistent with them.
In construction, you must make sure that all of your employees are working toward the same objective. It’s easy to lose track of important communication between the various job’s moving parts if there aren’t any meetings, which can lead to delays in completion.
Try to schedule meetings on a regular basis – for example, once a week or every other week. More regular meeting times can mean more effective team meetings.
This will help remind everyone that they are important, and it will also give you a chance to track progress and address any issues that may have arisen since the last meeting.
These are critical steps that will help you run a successful meeting. Follow these simple tips, and you’ll be on your way to productive and organized meetings!
If you’re looking for help running effective meetings, sign up for a free consultation call, and let’s chat!
By prioritizing, staying on schedule, using an agenda, and being consistent, you’ll be able to run productive and organized meetings that will help move your construction business forward!
