Why are you meeting?
Identifying the purpose of your meeting is crucial for setting clear goals and expectations. After all, how can you expect to achieve a specific outcome if you don't know what that outcome is?
As a business leader, you likely have a lot on your plate. If you’re not meeting with stakeholders, you’re trying to stay on top of important decisions. Your time is valuable, so it's important to make sure that every meeting you hold serves a purpose. You need to live by an important rule, don’t waste time catching up with people when the conversation can be an email.
Before you even start inviting people to your meeting, take a few minutes to think about the problem or issue you need to address. What do you hope to achieve by having this meeting? Do you need to make a decision? Solve a problem? Brainstorm new ideas?
Once it’s clear in your mind what the purpose of the meeting is, you need to make this clear to all attendees. This not only helps to set the tone for the meeting but also ensures everyone is on the same page and can come prepared with ideas and solutions to contribute.
By doing this you can ensure your team knows what is expected of them and you'll be setting the stage for a successful meeting. Not only will this save time and increase efficiency, but it will also help to ensure you’re making progress toward your business goals.