There’s a way to make staff meetings productive!
Do you hold regular staff meetings? Have you stopped because they turn into ‘bitch sessions”? I hear this too often. I believe that staff meetings are essential unless you have some other brilliant way of communicating en masse with your team. Failing that, there are ways that you can make your staff meeting worth everyone’s time. Here are some do’s and don’t to make sure that your staff meetings are effective:
DO:
- Use an agenda & take minutes. This gives you a clear purpose for every meeting.
- Ask for solutions. If someone has a complaint, ask them for their suggestions to fix the problem. This holds everyone capable and eliminates bitching.
- Facilitate! Keep the meeting on track by focussing on the purpose. If there is a contentious issue, pass a stone or object around the room. The one holding the stone has the floor and everyone else listens until it’s their turn.
DON’T:
- Allow complaining without participation in solving the issue. Then decide on clear actionable to-do’s.
- Forget to take minutes and distribute them to every member via email after the meeting – and post them in the staff room!
- Drop the ball! Follow up on all to-do’s from the last meeting by going over the previous minutes and bringing them forward.
A well run staff meeting can be the best and most productive form of team communication. Use this resource to build a stronger practice and a more cohesive team. When everyone feels they have a voice, new ideas and solutions serve to make your practice better. This is not a time to complain, bitch and whine. It is a time to collectively work toward a common goal, voice concerns and ideas, create solutions and move forward!
Business Bootcamp for Dentists members get help with running their staff meetings – lots of support, ideas and coaching, to make meetings a valuable experience!
