Say goodbye to boring & ineffective meetings!

Hi,

I apologise that this newsletter is a couple of weeks late.

I’ve had a bit of a cancer scare & so that took up a fair bit of my time & also my brain capacity.

The good news is that they were able to remove it all through surgery. I’ve been given the all-clear, it should be ok going forward & so we’re back!

This week, I’m excited about sharing one of my favourite EOS tools – the Level 10 Meeting.

BUSINESS TOOLS & REAL-LIFE LESSONS

Meetings got you down? Let’s talk about making them less crappy & more productive.

Level 10 meetings are so named because they’re designed to get your team to love their meetings & rating them a 10/10.

When I ask my clients, before they start the EOS journey, how they generally rate the effectiveness of their meetings, they usually give it a 3 or 4, out of 10.

Why is that??

Well, there are at least 7 reasons, maybe more:

1. Time-consuming: Meetings can take up a significant portion of the workday, leaving less time for actual tasks to be completed.
2. Lack of Productivity: Many meetings are perceived as unproductive, with discussions going off-topic or not leading to concrete decisions or actions.
3. Repetitive or unnecessary: Some meetings are held out of habit rather than necessity, leading to frustration among attendees who feel their time could be better spent elsewhere.
4. Too Many Meetings: When people are constantly pulled into meetings, it can disrupt their workflow and make it difficult to focus on their own tasks.
5. Poorly Organised: Meetings that lack a clear agenda or structure can feel chaotic and unproductive.
6. Ineffective Communication: If communication in meetings is one-sided or if attendees don't feel heard, it can lead to frustration and disengagement.
7. Feeling Disconnected: In virtual or hybrid work environments, meetings can sometimes exacerbate feelings of isolation or disconnection from co-workers.

I remember when I worked at Council (PS: It was the worst 18 months of my life!!) & we added up how much time I spent in meetings – it was around 35 hours per week.?

Given that the average work week is supposed to be 37.5 hours, that didn’t leave much time to do actual work & at least another 5 of the issues above existed as well!

So, I fell in love with the EOS Level 10 Meetings when I got introduced to them around 7 years ago.

There are lots of articles & tools that can help you run more effective & enjoyable meetings using the Level 10 methodology – some of them are listed below.

This article is about the 3 most common real-life pitfalls & where, even with the best intentions, Level 10 Meetings don’t quite work as they were intended.

1. Story-Telling

The first 25 minutes are all about checking in & reporting, especially around the scorecard & rocks being on track or off track & identifying all possible issues.

Everything that is off-track is meant to be dropped down to the issues list & then discussed in terms of order of priority.

The challenge is that some people will want to tell you at the reporting stage why they are off track.

They will go into the story of what’s going on. They might even try to solve whatever the issue is by suggesting how it can be fixed.

I’m not saying that they shouldn’t have an opportunity to explain, but what if you spend 15-20 minutes (And I’ve seen longer!) talking about this ‘issue’, only to find there’s a way more important issue in the business & you have run out of time to IDS it?

I see this at almost all of the first lot of Level 10 Meetings that I observe with the leadership teams I work with.

It’s just a learning & discipline thing that can be easily corrected.

The solution is to hold each other to the task. Stop your fellow team members from hopping into the story & force it to be pushed down to the Issues List so that you can discuss it at Issue Solving time, if & only if it’s one of the most important issues.

Stick to reporting only at reporting time & you’ll find you have much more productive meetings.

2. Not solving issues at the root cause.

As humans, we love to jump to solving an issue really quickly. It’s human nature – we don’t want to waste time.

The challenge is that often, we don’t get to the root cause. And then the issue often reappears over & over again. The most important part of IDSing is the Identification or 'I’ part.

In general terms, I suggest spending around 65% of your time asking questions to get to the real cause of the issue.

Ask clarifying questions like Why (up to 5 times), What, Who, When, How?

• Why is this an issue?
• And why is that?
• What is the impact?
• Who is it affecting?
• When did it start happening?
• How is it affecting them?
• Why is that?

Etc etc.

For more info, you can watch the Harvard video on the 5 whys . Watch here.

But for some real-life examples, feel free to drop me an email & I’ll happily spend half an hour with you, sharing several examples & showing you how they could have been solved better.

The next downfall is not exploring ALL of the options in the Discuss part.

I would suggest around 30% of the time, asking how we could solve this. And what else? And what else? Until you have all the possible options on the table.

Then, you can discuss the merits & cons of each option before making a decision as a team.

The final part, the Solve, should be the quickest part & it must be an action item for the next 7 days. A bit size chunk that can take you some way towards resolving the issue.

The solve doesn’t necessarily have to solve the full issue – it’s the first step towards solving.

3. Not preparing properly for the meeting.

I once sat through a level 10 meeting where one of the Leadership Team spent almost all of the 60 minutes of IDS, taking us through a spreadsheet & report line by line.

If this report was part of a solution from a previous issue – let’s say the action point was to do some more research or produce a report for the Leadership Team for the next meeting – then it’s probably best to circulate this report before the meeting, ask for the team to read it & tell them what you want them to give you as a result of reading this:

• Is there a decision to be made?
• Do you need them to give feedback?
• Or is it just for their information?

Whatever it is, circulate it beforehand, move straight to questions & then get the decision that you need.

And make sure that you have done some decent prep work before you come into the meeting, on all of the agenda items.

Good preparation for a meeting means that you have:

• Prepared your good news, personal & professional
• Reviewed your scorecard & are prepared to answer questions on it if you’re off track
• Reviewed your rock progress & milestones & are prepared to answer questions on it if you’re off track
• Prepared customer or staff headlines
• Ticked off your to-dos that you have done
• Thought about any issues that you have been asked to raise up to the LT L10 Meeting or that you have come across in your week.

I hope this has been helpful – I’m always more than happy to answer your questions about Level 10 Meetings – they’re one of my favourite EOS tools!

LINKS TO USEFUL STUFF

This section gives you quick access to 9 links - to articles, blogs, podcasts & stuff that will help you to create a better business & lead a better life.

Better Business Articles

1. Run 1:1s Like Mini Level 10 Meetings?- Unlock the power of mini Level 10 meetings.

2. Level 10 Meeting? - Streamline weekly meetings & eliminate wasted time.

3. What Does The Perfect Level 10 Meeting Look Like?? - It’s called Level 10 for a reason. So what makes it a 10/10?

Podcast

1. Evolving Business Landscape: A Peek into 2024 and Beyond | Laurence McLean - Evolving business landscape of 2024 and beyond.

2. Guitar Breaks: How a Business Leader Found Harmony in Work and Life | Julia Ewert - Discover the harmony between work and life.

3. Insights from EOS Implementation and Personal Growth | Jonathan Smith - Unlock the secrets of entrepreneurship with EOS.

Better Life

1. Business Leaders: Eight Tips For Putting Your Health And Happiness Firs - Discover valuable tips from business leaders on prioritising health and happiness in this Forbes article.

2. 22 Tools Productive People Use to Finish Work Faster, Reach Their Goals, and Reduce Stress - Unlock the secrets to effective time management with 22 productivity tools.

3. 5 Productivity Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs- Uncover the secrets to maximising productivity as an entrepreneur with expert advice and actionable tips!

MEET OUR TEAM

In this section, I will be introducing the team & our Trusted Partners.

This week, I'm excited to introduce someone truly special to you all – my good friend business partner, Adam Harris!

Ever met someone who simply loves t ask questions? (Except for me!)?

That's Adam for you… He’s my brother from another mother.??

With an inquisitive mind that never rests, Adam delves deep, peeling away layers to help individuals and teams grasp different perspectives and challenge assumptions.

We’re both passionate about empowering leaders to create impact.

Adam works with me in our Business Action & Integrated Executives businesses, but he also has his own consulting business (Frank & Fearless) as well as his own podcast & newsletter.

How do you help people?

I just love asking questions; my inquisitive, wondering mind means I like to dig deep and peel away the layers. Helping an individual or team understand a different perspective, view or assumption, and the result of the change or difference is Why I love it.

Why did you get into what you are doing?

I was looking at becoming a member of a CEO mastermind group. www.tec.com.au, when I was no longer a CEO, I was invited to become a chair and run a group; I fell in love with experiential learning and chaired a group for 10 years; I came across EOS and fell in Love and going through the process ourselves, decided a move to NZ was living our true EOS live.

What do you love about it?

I love holding space and facilitating a room to give individuals and teams permission to play, be comfortably uncomfortable and have 'Frank and Fearless' conversations. This allows for the hard work to be done, and the results for all are great to see; the impact on purpose-driven organisations is so rewarding.

What do you do in your spare time, pursuing other passions?

I perform regularly in an 'Improv' group, I am a regular at the gym or out walking, and I love watching my beloved Football team, Nottingham Forest (irrespective of the time).

Tell us something that very few people know about you?

I am a qualified butcher, baker, and candlestick maker. I used to be a professional lookalike and had a business with 10,000 blowup dolls!

FIND OF THE WEEK

Discovering Nutrient Rescue's Double Shot was a game-changer for me. It was recommended by my Doctor, Dr Vanessa Ingraham, ND, FAARFM, ABAAHP & since starting to take it, I have stopped taking so many supplements, feel less achy in my joints & I sleep better.

Dr V. was brought over to NZ to help with the formulation of this product.

Here is the official information on it:

“Nutrient Rescue is the easiest way to boost the micronutrient value of your diet.?

The double shot combines the most nutrient-dense and well-researched NZ-grown superfoods picked at their peak and gently air-dried to delicate plant-based vitamins and minerals.

The ingredients in Nutrient Rescue shots have been studied to support energy, inflammation, and overall wellness and have been hand-picked by Dr Vanessa Ingraham, who has spent almost two decades researching the benefits of phytonutrients in sprouts and cereal grasses.

Organic Blackcurrants are nature's richest sources of the powerful antioxidant Anthocyanin and create a wonderful tart flavour profile to round out the earthy taste of the greens. Unlike other companies, we do not use ANY flavouring agents, stevia, or other additives to bring you NZ's purest form of plant nutrition in an easy-to-use format. Try the double shot in smoothies and the Red Shot mixed into coconut yoghurt."

Personally, I use the double shot in my unsweetened Greek yoghurt every morning, along with my hemp seeds & cinnamon powder.

In short, Nutrient Rescue's Double Shot delivers on its promise of convenient, effective nutrition & it tastes good. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a simple way to enhance their health.

I order it on a monthly subscription, but you can also buy it casually - click here.

We are here to help you live a better life by creating a better business. We are real-life business owners with years of experience & a strong desire to make a huge difference in entrepreneurs' lives.

If anything here resonates with you or you would like our help, then please get in contact. Just reply to this newsletter & let us know who you would like to speak to.... Or visit our webpage & contact any of our team from their pages.

If you know someone who would benefit from reading this, then please forward it to them ??

Debra Chantry-Taylor

Certified EOS Implementer | Accredited Family Business Advisor | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Speaker & Workshop Facilitator

You can check out previous newsletters here.

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