One Meeting Minute Thought for Your Week
There are many different meeting types in business.
So as a leader, you always need to know the type of meeting you’re leading or attending.
And you need to know the kind of work that needs to be done in each meeting type so you invite the right People and keep them focused on accomplishing the Purpose.
If you don’t have this information, the meetings you’re leading will inevitably be unproductive and ineffective. And, they’ll be frustrating for you and the participants.
Those are obviously meeting traits you want to avoid!
So here are some tips to help you and your teams be successful in four common types of meetings in business.
Four typical meeting types in business
I like the model Patrick Lencioni uses to describe the meeting types based on his experience working with C-Suite leaders in a variety of industries.
He outlines this model in his books Death by Meeting and The Advantage.
And, his 6 Types of Working Genius framework equips leaders to make these meetings more productive and effective.
Which means, of course, that the PEOPLE in these meetings are more productive and effective while also experiencing more joy, energy, and fulfillment in their work.
These tips are based on Lencioni’s four meeting types:
- Brainstorm (Quarterly Offsite Review)
- Solutions Oriented (Adhoc Strategic)
- Rally and Tactical Meeting (Weekly Staff)
- Task Oriented (Daily Standup)
Let’s look at each of these types of meetings and how you and the people you invite might tend to behave in each of them.
The “Altitude” of each meeting type
We can think about the kind of work needed in each type of meeting as an elevation or “altitude”.
Any type of work goes through 3 phases from start to finish.
You begin with Ideation, move through Activation of a team, and finish with Implementation.
The start is “up in the clouds” and you finish at ground level by “landing the plane.”
The 4 types of meetings align with the stages of work and the corresponding altitudes.
So how can you and your colleagues be most successful in each type of meeting in your business?
The first step is knowing the meeting type and the elevation of the work to be done in the meeting.
The graphic above helps with that.
I’ve found an important second step is knowing the Working Geniuses of each person in the meeting.
If you don’t have that information, it’s easy to get using the 6 Types of Working Genius Assessment.
The assessment only takes about 10 minutes to complete.
And as soon as you finish it, you’ll have an instant understanding of yourself. (A link to the Working Genius website where you can take the assessment is below if you’re interested.)
If your coworkers have taken the assessment too, they’ll know their Working Geniuses and can share them with you.
(I recommend creating a Working Genius Team Map like I use with my team and help my clients build, but it’s not required.)
This will equip you and them to be most productive in the four types of meetings because the 6 Types of Working Geniuses also align with the stages of work and the altitudes.
Working Geniuses for the 4 types of meetings in business
This image brings it all together.
Let’s start up in the clouds then gradually descend to the landing strip.
Meeting Type: Brainstorm (Quarterly Offsite Review)
Brainstorm type of meetings have an elevation of 25,000 to 30,000 feet. They’re high altitude meetings.
To have a productive, effective meeting at this level, you’ll want to do the following:
- Step back and look at big picture. This may mean looking at the market or the competitive environment for your business.
- This meeting should stay in the Ideation stage and avoid getting into tactics and details. A coworker with the Working Geniuses of Enablement and Tenacity will tend to drive the conversation down to this level so be prepared.
- This is a Wonder and Invention meeting so be sure to invite your teammates who have these Working Geniuses. Call on them often for their input.
- A team member with Invention should probably lead this meeting to help move toward solutions.
These questions will help keep your conversations focused and at the right altitude:
How might we serve our clients better?”
“Are we solving the right problems?
Are we living up to our potential?
What might we be missing?
Meeting Type: Solutions Oriented (Adhoc Strategic)
You may maintain your altitude or drop slightly for a Solutions Oriented meeting.
The elevation is 20,000 to 30,000 feet.
These tips will help you and your team be successful in this type of meeting:
- Define the Purpose as something like this: “Develop a strategy to address [Insert specific problem that has been identified.]
- Keep the meeting focused on inventing a solution to address a specific issue and refining or tweaking it. This work may require multiple meetings.
- Because this is an Invention and Discernment type meeting, put those who are energized by this work on the participant list. There will be some Wonder needed too so include colleagues with this Working Genius also.
- The main influencer in this meeting should be an Invention person. Follow their lead if you’re facilitating this type of meeting.
Questions like this will be helpful:
“What is our strategic focus?
How can we tweak the solution we just came up with?
This seems likes a good solution. How can we refine it?
What would have to be true for us to call this problem solved?”
Meeting Type: Rally and Tactical Meeting (Weekly Staff)
You’re dropping out of the clouds and you can start seeing the ground so it’s time to make sure the team is Activated as you begin executing the work.
You and your team are flying between 10,000 and 15,000 feet.
Keep these tips in mind:
- Because you’ve already identified your strategic focus in the earlier meetings, now’s the time to inspire and push people to execute.
- This is the type of work a Galvanizer LOVES – so encourage them to do their thing!
- This meeting type is all about Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity. Resist the urge to go back to the Ideation stage of work. Those who are hard wired with Invention or Discernment will want to apply their Working Geniuses so watch out for this pull in the wrong direction. You want to keep the project moving toward the runway to get it done.
- Because the Purpose of this type of meeting is to rally people to get work done, a Galvanizer will probably be the best person to drive how this meeting goes.
You’ll likely hear a Galvanizer asking questions like this during a Tactical meeting:
“Are we moving the ball forward?
How are we doing against our goals?
What do we need to get done so our results next week are even better?”
Meeting Type: Task Oriented (Daily Standup)
Your project plane is about to land so you and your team need to stay connected.
With an elevation from 5,000 feet to zero, you’ll soon be on the ground.
Meeting daily for only 10 to 15 minutes will help you drive your work to DONE.
These tips will help you finish well:
- The pace of this meeting will be fast with a tone of urgency.
- Each person will briefly update the team on what they’re working on. Communicating clearly and concisely is critical!
- If you have the Working Genius of Tenacity, you’ll be in your element. You’ll show up early and leave excited knowing you get to go tie up all the loose ends that could keep the project from finishing on time.
- The best Working Genius to lead this meeting is Discernment. They’ll need to prioritize and allocate resources carefully during the final stage of the project.
Questions for this type of meeting include:
“What will we get done today?
Who’s going to do what by when?”
What’s completed and ready to be checked off the list?
What are you working on, [insert team member name]?”
More Resources to Help You Build Your Career and Your Business
This overview of the 6 Types of Working Geniuses will give you more insight into how different people tend to show up in the four meeting types.
You can take the Working Genius Assessment at the Working Genius website (click here).
You can also contact me if you’d like some support. I use the 6 Types of Working Genius framework every day and I’m a Working Genius Certified Facilitator so I can help.
I also found this article exploring 16 different types of business meetings and how teams can use them interesting (click here).
And this article describing the 6 most common types of meetings had some solid meeting tips too (click here).
And Now a Word from Our Sponsors
The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni is an excellent book with valuable content that goes far beyond the four meeting types in business.
The subtitle explains why it’s own of my favorites: “Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business”!
Click here to get your copy of The Advantage and support M4 – the Monday Morning Meeting Minute!
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
That’s All for this Issue
As you and your teams come together and do work, think about the type of meeting you’re having and how to make it the most productive it can be.
I find Patrick Lencioni’s four types of meetings helpful:
- Brainstorm (Quarterly Offsite Review)
- Solutions Oriented (Adhoc Strategic)
- Rally and Tactical Meeting (Weekly Staff)
- Task Oriented (Daily Standup)
When this model is paired with the 6 Types of Working Genius framework, great things happen.
You and your coworkers have more joy, energy, and fulfillment and your business is more productive.
Try out these tips and let me know what works for you.
Let’s lead with kindness and confidence!
Greg
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