Unblock Your Meetings š± & book launch countdown ā±ļø
Use this format to make your meetings effective and relevant
Every Monday morning, Claire and her six direct reports come together for a three-hour meeting. Today, Wanda is invited to share an update about a big construction project. When ready to deliver her presentation, she asked, āDid everyone read the slides, or should I walk you through them?ā Some nodded in affirmation. But Claire responded, āPlease, talk us through the slides,ā so Wanda guided us through all 38 slides, consuming 45 minutes of our time.
When Wanda presented, only a few people paid attention. The others were on their laptops, seemingly waiting for it to end. Claire thanked Wanda and said: āNow, letās discuss.ā One of the managers asked a detailed question. Even though Wanda had previously provided the answer during her presentation (while he was not listening attentively), she graciously answered.
Two other managers started debating the performance of one of our suppliers ā a topic that was only loosely related to Wandaās project update. They went down a ārabbit holeā for about 10 minutes.
What happens in Claireās team is not uncommon. Lots of creativity, motivation, and energy are wasted in meetings every single day. Most people hate them, but accept this as a fact of life, saying, āMeetings are just awful, you know?ā But it doesnāt have to be that way.
Research confirms dysfunctional meetings are associated with reduced market share, innovation, and employee engagement. Every minute someone spends in a wasteful meeting canāt be spent on meaningful work. Remember, talking about work isnāt the same as doing work.
However, meetings are crucial for coordination, collaboration, and sense-making. But you need a meeting culture that makes it easier, not harder, for teams to reach their goals.
At Unblock, we have helped hundreds of leaders become better at cooperating by improving their meeting rhythm and the structure of their recurring meetings. The meeting structure that weāve consistently found incredibly effective is the structure we named the āUnblock Meeting.ā
The meetingās purpose is to coordinate and unblock the teamās work: get everyone in the team what they need to make progress until the next team meeting. At the end of the meeting, everyone should know the status of the teamās projects and any actions that they and their colleagues will take.
Book launch countdown
Here is some exciting news about my upcoming book:
There is a new and final cover design (see below).
Editing and interior layout are complete.
The bookās website is extended and includes the full Table of Contents.
Dozens of leaders have provided their endorsement.
We have picked a launch date: October 1st. š„³
"'Unblock' is the ultimate manual for leaders needing to achieve drastically better outcomes quickly. It explains the theory, provides practical examples, and guides you step by step. This is no ordinary business book! āUnblockā is a reference guide, operating manual, and checklist all rolled into one. Itās the Hitchhikerās Guide to the Business Galaxy.ā
ā Barry Doran, CFO, Sub-Saharan & South Africa, B/S/H/
Stay tuned!
Jurriaan