Hello friends,

Greetings from Utrecht!

Business coaching is an interesting process.

Sometimes a client will take everything I can throw at them, and run with it.

Other times, for whatever reason, uptake will be a bit slower.

One such client had been steadily plugging along for about 6 months, taking on board what they could, but also showing signs of reservation.

Then last week, as I joined the management team for their Quarterly meeting, it was immediately clear from the energy in the room that they had turned a corner somewhere.

Their company is in one of the most hectic, stressful periods they've seen in the last couple of years, and yet...

People were more engaged, and less distracted by messages from colleagues on their phones.

Physically, they leaned forward instead of leaning back.

Throughout the day, people spoke up and took accountability, where they might have staid silent before.

Now, the thing is, I can't and won't claim that I'm responsible for this change.

I can show people the door, but they have to walk through it.

It's all them.

But seeing this change happen, watching a team take charge over the future of their company... it never gets old.

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Today at a glance:

• Essay: The Perfect Management Meeting
• Pitch Deck Template by Rami Ismail
• How to use AI to do stuff
• The Pixar Way

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The Perfect Management Meeting (Includes Pizza)

Are you dreading your weekly management meetings?

If so, you’re not the only one.

But the good news is that there’s an alternative.

Try my ideal agenda for making it the most efficient and effective 90 minutes of your week:

🥳 Good news: 5 min

Always start with a round of good news to get in the right mood.

Happy minds are creative minds.

Moreover, by sharing both a professional and a personal positive, you learn something about your team members every week.

🚥 Goal status: 5 min

Spend 5 minutes tracking your quarterly goals.

This is where you build accountability.

Don’t get into details yet, it’s WAY too early in the meeting to get sidetracked.

Just report “on track” or “off track”. Off track items go on your issue list to discuss later.

🚥 Company health: 5 min

Spend 5 minutes discussing your company scorecard.

This scoreboard tracks your company’s health along 10 (max!) KPIs.

Any issues go on the issue list to discuss later.

🤷🏼 Headlines: 5 min

Share any relevant employee or customer headlines.

Any issues - you guessed it - go on the issue list to discuss later.

✅ To-do’s: 5 min

To-do’s from your previous meeting are next.

At least 80% of the previous meeting’s to-do’s are done, any unfinished to-do’s can be pushed once.

Of course, it helps to define each to-do as concretely as possible.

Experienced teams can knock the above items out in 20 minutes or less.

Showing up prepared and staying on point is the key.

With everyone properly informed and up-to-date, you can then move on to…

❗️ Issue solving: 60 min

You’ll spend the bulk of your time solving your company’s most pressing issues.

These are any issues or opportunities that need to be tackled to solve one or more of your company goals.

Before you dive in, it is crucial to first agree on the top three issues that you want to discuss.

Come prepared and be ready to suggest an issue, this shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds.

One by one, solve the issues you’ve identified.

• Identify the issue below the issue, so you know you’re tackling it at the root. One way to do that is by asking “Why?” five times.

• Discuss potential solutions. Remember that the point is to get all perspectives on the table, not to debate your way to a preferred solution.

• Solve the issue by defining concrete follow-up steps, and assigning them to the right team members.

Time left? Pick three more issues, rinse and repeat.

🎁 Wrap up: 5 min

Five minutes before the end of the meeting, repeat the to-do’s for next week.

If anything needs to be communicated to the rest of the company, discuss what you’ll communicate, how you’ll communicate it, and who will do it.

Trust me when I say that just this last part will save you ton of headaches over the years.

TL;DR:

🥳 Good news: 5 min

🚥 Goal status: 5 min

🚥 Company health: 5 min

🤷🏼 Headlines: 5 min

✅ To-do’s: 5 min

❗️ Issue solving: 60 min

🎁 Wrap up: 5 min

Do this every week, same day, same time.

And if you’re feeling extra fancy, make it a pizza meeting.

Your management meeting sets the pace for the rest of the company, so make it count.

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The Best Bits

​Rami's Pitch Deck: There’s at least a dozen pitch deck templates out there, but we hadn’t seen Rami’s take on it yet. Well worth checking out if you’re planning to do any pitching in the near future.

​How to use AI to do stuff: Ethan Mollick has put together a handy guide for the various AI systems that are currently available. He’s done a tonne of research on the subject, and neatly summarizes what each AI is best used for, and how.

The Pixar Way: I just finished reading Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull, Pixar’s co-founder and President of Walt Disney Animation. I’d come across this title multiple times before finally starting on a recommendation of fellow consultant Chris Bain. I made it all the way to page 6 before graduating it to my list of must-read business books. It’s that good, and if you are doing anything business related in a creative industry, you should read it too.

See you in two weeks!

Martijn

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