The Overlooked Heartbeat of Small Businesses

Introduction

Small business owners often overlook it. It's critical to engaging, retaining, and developing staff, but it is often missing from the average small business. It's expensive and has a reputation for being unproductive, suggesting that a simple email would have been a sufficient substitute. It is inconvenient and can feel like sideways energy if it isn't run well. Even with all of that said, it is one of the most critical parts of a healthy and productive team. It's the team meeting.

I know, it feels like it's not needed yet, that it's something the future you can implement, and that's why it's often overlooked. The truth is it is something you MUST make time for. It's not something that is only reserved for big businesses or office jobs. It's the heartbeat of the organization.

There are three reasons I believe this:

1. It allows information to flow freely.

   When a team is small, we can convince ourselves that critical information is flowing through the business. We believe this because we know everything; we have built or developed practically every part of the business. But the moment you go from being a solopreneur to an employer, the flow of critical information slows down. We assume it's moving, but that's only because we have the curse of knowledge.

   When you add a predictable, regular team meeting, you allow critical information to have a fighting chance at getting to the people who need to know.

2. Rowing in the same direction.

   Imagine for a moment you are a white water rafting guide. You're about to approach some rapids in the river, and if the team doesn't work as a unit, you risk losing someone overboard or, worse, capsizing. As you approach the moment of no return, you look up to see that your entire crew has blindfolds on. When you yell for them to row, several begin to paddle. A few have missed your command but don't notice because of the sound of the river smashing against the rocks, and they don't see they are being left out because they can't see. They have a blindfold on. The ones that are paddling aren't doing so in unison or even in the same direction.

   This happens to a team when they don't have regular and accessible group communication.

   They miss out on the opportunity to hear direction from the manager's mouth, and they don't see the actions taken by their peers. They miss the chance to have their questions answered or to hear the answers to a college's question, one they had but were too timid to ask.

   Running your business parallels navigating a raging river in so many ways. It's constantly changing, never entirely predictable, and sometimes can feel very loud.

   A team needs to be on the same page even if it's only a couple of you. The team needs to hear the adjustments that need to be made at the same time. They need to know the current priorities and have their questions answered with some urgency. They don't all see the obstacles ahead, nor do they have your experience or expertise. A regular meeting rhythm allows every team member to be rowing together.

3. Access and input

   In my initial research into top motivators for small business employees, most of whom I interviewed listed either "access to leadership" or "input on decisions" as their top motivators at work. That was more than perks, treats, responsibility, or pizza parties. Access and input are the standout motivators for team members. A regular team meeting creates the opportunity for both. As long as you, as the leader, are genuine in your delivery and open to feedback, a strong team meeting can go a long way to motivating and aligning your team.

Methodology

Now, as much as team meetings get a bad rap, they are like the heartbeat of the team. They don't have to be long or dull, but they do need to happen.

I can say that every business I've worked with saw a very quick improvement in team morale and cohesiveness when they added even just a 30-minute meeting every other week.

Keep everyone on the clock. If you need to do the team before or after work, make it work. If you have to get creative, get creative. Your team needs clear direction, the opportunity to ask questions, and to know what's happening in the organization.

Keep in mind that these team meetings don't have to be complicated. At their irreducible minimum, they only have to cover four topics to be powerful tools in the acceleration of the business.

A Simple WEST Agenda:

1. Wins (celebrate what's going well)
   • Have the team share either:
     • Motivating customer stories (If you’re not already sharing these, start!)
     • Personal wins (e.g. “My brother had a baby!”)
2. Evaluation
   • Evaluate key health metrics
     • Highlight successes
     • Address areas that need attention
3. Status
   • Review the status current projects (Status = on schedule, waiting, or stuck)
   • Review upcoming projects and timelines
4. Tasks
   • Finish the meeting by clearly articulating the next steps and cascading messages. This is the only time in the meeting where you "pass along" info the team needs to know, but most of the time this could have been done in an email.
   • Clarify who’s doing what.

Get Started

Team meetings are often overlooked, but they are a necessity for moving further faster. Not doing them is slowing your business down more than you realize.

Please don't assume that they don't work for your business. Incorporate them into your regular planning. To start, I'd suggest doing them every other week. Get into the rhythm of helping your team row in the same direction.