This first issue of M4 is unique. It’s unlike any other issue you’ll ever see.
I’ve intentionally created it this way because if you’re thinking about signing up for M4, I want you to know exactly what to expect.
And, answer some questions you probably have.
Like this one.
What Does M4 Mean?
That’s an easy one: M4 is short for Monday Morning Meeting Minute.
When you subscribe to M4, every Monday morning you’re going to get one short meeting thought in your inbox.
Because you have meetings every week and you want to make them as effective and productive as you can.
But you don’t have a lot of time so I’ll make the content quick, helpful, and easy to read.
You can pop open the email Monday morning, read the quick tip or strategy to make your meetings better, and get on with your week.
And, here’s a question for you (and I bet I know the answer already).
Are some of the meetings you get invited to just downright bad?
Your answer is yes if you’re like almost every other business professional in the world.
Even the meetings YOU lead may not be as effective and productive as you’d like them to be.
So, that’s what I want to help you do in your business – Stop Bad Meetings!
And, that may lead to your next question.
Is M4 Only About Making Your Meetings Better?
The answer is No.
Improving your meetings can transform your business and your career.
But, you need to do more than just run great meetings to be a successful leader. And, of course, I can’t cover everything you need to know about meetings in one short snippet each week.
So, you’ll have access to more valuable content in each M4 issue. It’s there if you’re interested, have time, and want to use it.
Or you can skip it. It’s totally up to you.
You get to choose whether you keep reading past that first section that’s laser focused on helping you improve your meetings.
The Leadership Approach M4 Is Built On
M4 is designed to give you quick, helpful, and easy-to-read content in your inbox early Monday morning to help you make your meetings more effective and productive every week.
You and your teams may even find your meeting become ENJOYABLE. That would be a nice change wouldn’t it?
Being a great meeting leader can allow you to have an incredibly successful career. (That’s certainly been true for many people I know.) But, there’s more to building a successful career and business than just improving your meetings.
A lot more.
And, some of things are much less tactical than you might realize at first. Sure, the mechanics and tools for meetings are important. But, I bet you’ve been to meetings with near-perfect agendas and flawless execution but they were still BAD meetings.
Meetings always involve more than one person (by definition, right?).
And, you know when people are involved, things are often messy and challenging.
That’s why M4 covers more than just meeting mechanics. It’s built on my approach to leadership captured in this image.
Meetings are at the top of this pyramid and at the top of every M4 issue.
You know meetings have a big impact on your people – and on YOU.
A bad meeting can ruin your entire day, or even your week. And bad meetings can ruin employee morale and wreck your business.
So, meetings are ultimately about people.
People come together in meetings to do work together – to get things done.
The Connect Mobilize Deliver framework is an integral part of what I do in every area of my life and especially in my career.
Whether you describe it this way or not, you probably do the same thing.
You:
- Connect People
- Mobilize Them for Action
- Deliver Results
That happens most often in meetings.
And because people are always involved, you’re dealing with unique and valuable human beings.
You have to lead them with kindness and confidence.
Well, you don’t HAVE to approach leadership that way. And many leaders don’t.
A Shocking Statement From An Executive Leader
For example, I heard one executive publicly make this shocking statement.
“I give a (bleep) about one thing: performance.”
And, it didn’t take long to realize he meant exactly what he said.
He made it very clear with his words and his actions that he valued Performance over People. Those in his organization did perform but they weren’t cared for. As a result, many quickly left the company. Others stuck it out for a while, but ended up leaving too.
It doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to be a jerk to get results.
You deliver the best performance by leading with kindness and confidence and caring for those you lead.
M4 is built on that foundational belief. And the tips, strategies, and insight you’ll read about meetings are strongly influenced by this perspective.
You may be reading this and recognizing that’s not your style.
You’re more like the Business Executive I described. You drive people to get results at any cost and you have an impressive track record to show your way works.
If that’s the case, I highly recommend you DO NOT sign up to receive M4 in your inbox every Monday morning.
You’re not going to like what I have to say (even though the people you lead might want you to hear it). And, it might actually ruin your week.
Because you might read things that make you more than a little uncomfortable as I point out hard truths.
Your meetings might SEEM to be effective and productive in the short term, but they’ll still be BAD meetings in many ways.
But, I sincerely hope you DO agree with me when it comes to valuing the people on your team and seeking to serve them by helping them be the best they can be – in meetings and in all they do.
If you do, I think you’ll like what you read in M4. And, I hope you’ll let me know how to improve the content to help you be an even better leader of meetings and people.
Speaking of content, I want to explain what you can expect in each M4 issue. And why I want you to have that information.
What To Expect In Each M4 Issue
You’ll find I’m pretty open when it comes to sharing why I do what I do, so I’ll lay out what you can expect.
Why?
I’m doing this for two reasons.
First, I don’t want mislead you. If M4 isn’t going to help you, I don’t want to clutter your inbox with it. So, feel free to pop in here once in a while and read the posted M4 issues, but don’t sign up if M4 isn’t what you’re after.
Second, you may want to do some of the things I’m doing like growing a side business or starting a newsletter. If you do, I want to share what I know and help you get started. Countless people have done this for me and I want to help others too – including you.
So, let me explain what you’ll get in each M4 issue.
Here’s the layout with an explanation for each section.
One Meeting Minute Thought for Your Week
This section will contain a short meeting “thought”. You should be able to read it in about a minute.
It may be a tip or trick, a strategy, or a technique you can apply immediately in the meetings you lead or attend.
Or, it might be a story about a crazy meeting experience I’ve had or something else to make you laugh.
Your mind will be sparked to think in some way about how you can make your meetings in the coming week more effective and productive. And, maybe even enjoyable for your team!
Much of this content will come directly from my LinkedIn posts where I’ve been writing every weekday morning since January 2022.
Now, if you follow me on LinkedIn, you may be wondering this.
“Won’t I just see the same content I read on LinkedIn?”
Possibly, but probably not.
Because as much you don’t want to hear this, you aren’t fully in control of what you see on LinkedIn (or any other social media platform).
Here’s the harsh truth. The LinkedIn algorithm may not have let you see what I posted. This real life story proves it.
Why You Shouldn’t Trust LinkedIn To Deliver The Content You Want
I had a friend ask me a while back if I quit posting on LinkedIn.
Even though I was still writing every morning just after 7:00 AM every weekday and he wanted to see my posts, the LinkedIn algorithm decided he wasn’t going to.
Ugh!
That can be so frustrating and subscribing to M4 will help you avoid being manipulated by the LinkedIn algorithm like my buddy was.
The other reason requires some honesty.
You Need M4 Even If You Follow Me On LinkedIn – If We’re Being Honest
Even if you did read my post, you probably don’t remember what I wrote. And, I’m not surprised or offended.
Heck I don’t usually remember what I wrote after a while either!
So that’s what you’ll get in the first section which is the actual Monday Morning Meeting Minute.
You can do these 3 things.
- Read the quick meeting thought in a minute or less.
- Learn something to help you lead better meetings.
- Start your week equipped to be a better leader.
And, if you have a few more minutes, you can keep reading the next section.
More Resources to Help You Build Your Career and Your Business
This second section will have a wide variety of valuable content
This may be a continuation of the first section with more details that would take you a bit longer to read.
You might find links to articles or tweets to help you improve your meetings.
Or you’ll see content about leadership in general and how to apply the Connect Mobilize Deliver framework when leading projects and people.
As an M4 insider, you have the unique opportunity to shape M4 by telling me what you would like to see.
Please message or email me and tell me how I can help you be a better leader and lead better meetings in your business.
I’ll include what’s most valuable to you and other M4 readers here.
And Now a Word from Our Sponsors
This super short part of M4 will point you to resources that will help you while also helping me.
The reality is I’m running a business and businesses require revenue to survive. As a business leader you know that.
Sponsors of M4 will include other businesses, my own products and services, affiliate links, and other ways I’ve found to help cover the costs of running M4 and my website.
And, I promise to keep this section short and valuable to you. If I miss the mark and it gets annoying, let me know so I can adjust.
That’s All for this Issue
And when you get to this section of an M4 issue, you’ll know you’re done for the week.
If you consider M4 to be these 3 things, I’ve accomplished my goal.
- Concise
- Easy to read
- Valuable for you as a business leader
And, speaking of done, that’s it for the introductory issue of the M4 the Monday Morning Meeting Minute.
You now know what to expect with each M4 issue.
I trust you’re glad to be a part of the global movement to Stop Bad Meetings. And, in the process you’ll grow your career and business by Connecting People, Mobilizing Them for Action, and Delivering Results.
And, of course, you’ll do this together with me and many others as we together lead with kindness and confidence!
Thank you so much for reading and for signing up for M4 the Monday Morning Meeting Minute.
Greg
P.S. Each M4 issue will end with something like this. Check it out below. 👇
If you ever read M4 and want to learn more about me or work with me directly, this information will be there for you.
And, you’ll have the opportunity to share the issue with your teammates and connections who will benefit from it.
No one likes bad meetings and they’re EVERYWHERE. So help your friends by sharing M4 with them.
Fuel the movement to Stop Bad Meetings!
Here are 3 ways I can help you when you’re ready:
- Get more free resources you can use today (Click here to Start)
- Improve on your own with digital courses (Click here to Improve)
- Accelerate your progress with coaching (Click here to Accelerate)
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