How to Make Morning Meetings Equal Productive Days
Ensure your team is on the same page
It’s early. Everyone knows what needs to be done. You don’t have time. The list of excuses goes on about why you don’t need to hold a morning meeting for your team.
But morning meetings can set the tone for the day. These short meetings set the framework for how your team maximizes its time.
“You set priorities for the day and then revisit the list during day,” says Joe Horner, University of Missouri Extension economist.
TIME AND PLACE
A morning meeting is the time and place to set team priorities, execution plans and more.
“All the plans in the world are great, but we all know something’s going to go wrong in the first 30 minutes in the day,” says Benjamin Stajkowski, farm manager of Grand View Farms in Marine, Ill. “If you don’t decide to plan your day out or how you’re going to use your resources, you are doomed to fail.”
To keep the right tasks moving all day, he recommends conducting a mid-day check-in at lunch or at a mid-day break to see how progress is coming along.
At the end of the day, encourage all staff or at least farm leadership to review what was accomplished throughout the day, Stajkowski says. Determine what still needs to be completed tomorrow and start planning other tasks and chores for the days and weeks ahead.
“Then ask yourselves the most important question, ‘What can we do better tomorrow?’” he says. “There’s always opportunities every day for improvement, regardless of whether it’s the most perfect day on the farm or not.”
How else can you maximize your team’s time? Horner says smart time managers tend to start their day early to focus on their most important tasks before their days are interrupted. They also only do one task at a time and have learned to be comfortable saying “no” to tasks or duties that aren’t important.
5 TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE MEETINGS
At your next morning meeting, consider these strategies, Stajkowski suggests.
ATTENDANCE: Find ways you can lift and shift to cover for anyone who is out.
DAILY OR ROUTINE TASKS AND ASSIGNMENTS: Reinforce key tasks. Don’t assume your employees know what to do.
WEEKLY TASKS: Is today the day for a weekly task or is it only a priority if there is extra time?
NON-ROUTINE ITEMS: What special jobs need to happen this week?
STATUS UPDATE: Discuss production numbers. Are you winning or losing? Provide appropriate positive and constructive feedback.
