Meetings

Conventional meetings are fine. Doing things the way they’ve always been done is fine. But not if you’re interested in an innovative product. Henry Ford said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” AICC members don’t want to stay stuck in the past—we want to move into the future. We want new products, better ideas, and happier customers. To achieve that, you need team members who value innovation and ingenuity. Inspire creativity throughout the office in every way possible. One way to do that is through reinventing the staff meeting.

1. First of all, let’s throw out the concept of a traditional weekly staff meeting. Let’s use my company as an example. For a smaller business, our employees have the luxury of being able to meet on a daily basis with one another. This is something we value because it’s harder to do with a team of more than 100 employees. We use this to our advantage, and each of our departments meets daily for about 20 minutes to discuss projects and deadlines. This ensures every member of each department is on the same page, which can cut down on confusion and help everyone work more efficiently.

2. Have creative meetings with the entire staff every week. This is a great chance for the whole team to shoot out ideas and prepare for any upcoming events, conference calls, and new products.

I like to have the whole team in on these creative meetings, because everyone has his or her own unique perspective. Our e-commerce department has a completely different point of view than our graphics design team. And that’s terrific. Let everyone know their input is valuable and unique, and you will be amazed at what they can come up with.

3. Set up your meetings, and the office in general, for creativity. We hold our creative meetings in “the pit”—an open room with couches, comfortable chairs, and whiteboards on the walls. Everyone attends with notepads and pens, and we have a big screen in the room so we can pull up media and view it together.

When we moved into our new office, I told everyone, “Make your office personal.” When people feel comfortable, it’s easier for them to be creative. A plain, boring cubicle or office is uninspiring and bland. Make sure everyone feels free to make their workspace a space they can actually enjoy working in. Making sure everyone feels comfortable in his or her workspace every day has improved productivity in my office.

4. Communication is the best vaccine for confusion. It’s vital that the whole office be in sync. We open meetings with updates on completed projects, strategies for current projects, and goals for future projects. Everyone in the office updates our project management software at the end of the day, which makes it easy for us to track projects and work together. It also helps me stay in touch with everyone, especially when I’m out of the office.

5. Trust your team. I’m out of the office a lot. And I’m sure you are, too. Maintaining your business is all about traveling, meeting new clients, networking, and discussing ideas. You can’t do all of that in a phone call from your desk. You need to trust your team to function well when you are out and keep you informed at the same time.

I can’t be at every department’s meeting, even though I wish I could. Every day I am in the office, I meet with my chief operating officer and assistant to get caught up. I rely on them to manage the office and employees while I am away. My team is not shy to pick up the phone and call me with any questions or concerns they have. We pride ourselves on great communication skills with each other.

6. Empower your team. You hired your team for a reason—they can do their jobs, and they can do them well. The biggest way you can empower them is through practicing responsibility for their actions. When I give someone a project, I assume it will get done within the time frame I ask for. I make it very clear to my team that I am always available to help during a certain task or project, whether it’s by providing extra resources, involving other members on the project, or by simply giving advice. This allows me to have full trust with every member of my team and the tasks/projects I delegate to each of them.

7. Be forgiving. Improvement and meeting advanced goals is about making mistakes. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough. I always say, “It’s not so much about making the mistake, it’s what you do next that counts.” Your team needs to feel comfortable to take risks and be confident that you will let them learn from mistakes and forgive them.

8. Use meetings to say thank you. Each member of my team works diligently to prepare me for my presentations, conference meetings, product proposals, etc. That’s what we build a strong, loyal team for. When I come back from a business trip, whether it’s in Texas or China, I pull everyone together to recap the details. Everyone’s input and hard work is crucial, and it’s important to express your appreciation and gratitude to your team. Without my graphics design team, I wouldn’t have a detailed, inclusive presentation to show to my clients. Without my administrative team, I wouldn’t have any means of transportation, a hotel room to stay in, or a scheduled meeting to attend. Even if I’m running on three hours of sleep, I make sure I get into the office to meet with my team when I return home, because without them, the company would not be what it is today.

Making your office more creative can be as simple as changing your approach to staff meetings. Use them as frequently as your office size allows, and hold them in creative spaces. Make sure everyone feels comfortable to share their ideas, trust your employees, and always, always say thank you.

William Scott is CEO of Marbles LLC. He can be reached at will@marbles1.com.