I spend a lot of time in my seminars imploring leaders and managers to spend more time with their employees: “You need to spend time every day with your direct-reports providing guidance, direction, support, and coaching!”
Often, managers will raise their hands and ask, “Could we do this in a team meeting?”
Team meetings are great. They are critical to any leader/manager’s repertoire. But team meetings are really only useful for four purposes:
- Creating a feeling of belonging and togetherness. (This reason should be used sparingly. Maybe once a quarter).
- Sharing a bunch of information to a bunch of people in the same way at the same time.
- If there is an open question/problem with multiple constituents so the various constituents may discuss together; hear what each other says; respond spontaneously to each other; and move together toward a common solution.
- Because team meetings so often make it clear that certain one-on-one huddles are necessary and must immediately follow the team meeting!