What if as leaders we decided that the monthly /weekly check-in meeting could be done differently.... or could go away all together? Lots of times I hear complaints that people don't show up to meetings or that the same people are there all the time. Maybe it's not about a lack of commitment to the team/project/initiative, but it's about the meeting itself; either too much on the agenda, or too little.
These are great questions from Seth's "Smart Meetings" checklist-
Would skipping this meeting impede our ability to ship?
Could it be a Skype, conference call or Go-to meeting instead?
If we have to have the meeting, can we do it in a room with no chairs?
Can we invite fewer people? How few?
What’s the purpose of this meeting? Pick one of the following, and you can only pick one. If it’s more than one, skip the meeting.
• Inform people about the project
• Learn opinions or facts that will help you ship
• Discuss the project and gain input from interested parties
• Pitch or approve the idea
After we’re finished, how will we know if the meeting was a success?
Oh, and if you currently are using technology to facilitate meetings you will be familiar with the joys and pitfalls of the conference call. Here's a link to Seth's list for proper conference call etiquette-
Conference Call Hygiene
And if you've ever been on a poorly run conference call you'll get a chuckle out of this short video- it's an ad for a consulting group but they've nailed the challenges of technology vs. the face to face meeting.
Easum has a great book entitled Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers. As I recall there are two kinds of church cultures - control oriented and permission giving. Control oriented cultures have lots of committees which oversee activities {altar guild discusses xyz which then gets re-discussed by worship group and finally by church council (same basic conversations.} 4 months later the idea gets implemented (when enthusiasm has probably diminished). In a permission granting culture altar guild person might have a good idea and is told "go ahead." This a major culture shift and it depends on the "permission granters" having a good sense of the church. Ideas need to pass the "mission bar" - does this conform to our mission as a church.... At the church I serve we are "run" by champions (church council). We really do not have committees and when we do it is a group of folks who gather ad hoc for a particular reason/cause (50th anniversary, for instance.) Announcements are made and anyone can attend. Sounds loose and it is. A lot of work gets done via email, Sunday informal announcements/gatherings. No one really wants to go to a committee meeting or be on a committee.
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