Meetings Reveal Culture
On Time – Fully Prepared – Fully Engaged.
This simple mantra communicated what was expected of every member of the publicly-traded Firm I served in for nearly 15 years.
How meetings are conducted and the ways people act during them provides an astute observer with many insights about an organization’s culture and the sense of urgency, self-discipline, and professionalism of its team members.
In every organization I’ve ever led, meetings started on time, every time.
A meeting scheduled for 9 am started at 9 am – no exceptions made.
I found that most individuals actually appreciated this level of organization and punctuality.
As a way of reminding newer teammates of our culture regarding meetings, I’d tell them that in our Firm, meetings start on time and it was best to arrive early and be ready to engage.
I’d tell them, “If you’re on time, you’re late!”
Think about the last few meetings you’ve attended.
Were your teammates “On Time, Fully Prepared and Fully Engaged?”
