{"id":11906,"date":"2021-07-15T19:04:15","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T19:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jboitnott.com\/?p=11906"},"modified":"2021-09-18T14:48:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-18T14:48:52","slug":"the-real-secret-to-entrepreneurial-success-thats-not-what-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jboitnott.com\/zh\/the-real-secret-to-entrepreneurial-success-thats-not-what-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Real Secret to Entrepreneurial Success is Meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is there \u201cone weird trick\u201d that will serve every entrepreneur well, no matter what their business model or industry might be? Yes, I think there is. But it\u2019s decidedly un-sexy and even unpopular these days. It\u2019s regular meetings<\/a>. Yes, really.<\/p>\n

The ongoing crisis did nothing to help the cause of meetings. Corralling your employees onto Zoom calls<\/a> might have made meetings a little more convenient, but most folks still think these events are a waste of time and money, and that they\u2019re excruciating exercises in futility. And, there are even some who say meetings should be abolished altogether if possible.<\/p>\n

In my experience, however, the problem isn\u2019t meetings themselves. It\u2019s bad <\/em>meetings. Inefficient meetings. Meetings that aren\u2019t planned or run well. Meetings themselves are crucial to ongoing business growth, employee engagement and financial success. Here are four reasons why you should take all the criticism they get with a grain of salt.<\/p>\n

1. Meeting with upper-level leaders encourages brainstorming and\u00a0feedback<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s crucial to have unstructured weekly or biweekly time with all VPs (or equivalent) for brainstorming and getting\/giving feedback. The more your business grows, the more difficult this can be. Yet it\u2019s crucial to touch base as a group to check in with each other and to give (and receive) immediate feedback on new ideas and suggestions.<\/p>\n

A quick meeting with your upper-level managers and leaders helps create more creative, positive interaction<\/a>, which fosters the free flow and exchange of new ideas and concepts. That, in turn, is how new product and service lines begin to take shape. The phrase \u201cmeeting of the minds\u201d is especially appropriate here: when you regularly bring together your top talent to explore new possible challenges for the company, you\u2019ll actually get more creative thinking and problem-solving from that talent in return.<\/p>\n

2. Meetings help you lead and identify future\u00a0leaders<\/h3>\n

Regular staff meetings are effective in developing company leadership. Use these meetings to rally the troops, remind them of important goals and inspire them to challenge themselves and achieve more.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, by observing carefully how individual employees engage with and participate in the meetings over time, you can spot those with innate leadership qualities<\/a> and offer them further training and entry-level management opportunities as they arise.<\/p>\n

3. Regular meetings foster teamwork and\u00a0unity<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s hard to feel connected to colleagues you rarely see. Holding regular staff meetings, even if they\u2019re just online, gives all of your employees a valuable opportunity for face time with each other. That face-to-face interaction, combined with the meeting\u2019s discussions about company goals, helps your staff feel more like a cohesive team.<\/p>\n

Your staff\u2019s sense of teamwork<\/a> and unity can also be strengthened by taking the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate achievements as a group. By making individual, team or departmental wins something the entire company is part of, you\u2019ll increase the sense of connectedness and cohesion.<\/p>\n

4. Meetings help identify and solve problems.<\/h3>\n

A regularly-scheduled check-in with your company\u2019s employees and leaders helps you stay abreast of how projects are developing, empowering you to spot potential problems before they become significant obstacles. Often, addressing problems promptly means you\u2019ll spend less time, energy and money on resolving the situation.<\/p>\n

Additionally, when you encourage your employees to bring their problems to the regular meeting, you give them an opportunity to seek input and assistance from their coworkers. Another employee or team might have dealt with something similar and could offer constructive suggestions to resolve the issue.<\/p>\n

Tips for improving the quality of your\u00a0meetings<\/h3>\n

Follow these simple tips for more productive meetings:<\/p>\n