When meetings attack
Realign regular check-ins so they don’t waste your time.
You are likely familiar with the experience of being trapped in a calendar cage match of commitments, where at least some could have been expressed in an email. The worst offender? The weekly progress check-in, disguised as productivity, often packaged as the Monday Morning WIP or the Friday Roundup.
When we operate in structured environments, such as those in your corporate team, time already feels scarce. Here is a suggestion for how you can better leverage the effectiveness of your regular meetings.
A framework for regular progress meetings
Your regular team check-ins should reinforce three things only:
The big picture: Priorities set by the board or ELT.
The medium picture: Individual- or project-level priorities.
Overflows: Topics that involve some (but not all) team members.
Three levels, one outcome: a better aligned team without the time drain. To elaborate further:
1. Start with the big picture.
Always begin by articulating the broader strategic direction of your team, and why you are all here. This is your chance to pass on priorities or shifts from the board or executive leadership team (ELT). Doing so helps the team mentally recalibrate and ensures the rest of the meeting stays tethered to what actually matters. It also gives your team a cue for what they should emphasise in their updates.
2. Zoom in on the medium picture.
With the strategic context set, it’s time to hear from your team. This can be structured by individual or by project lead, depending on the size of your team. (Larger teams benefit from grouping updates by project.)
To keep things concise and relevant, advise each contributor to share just three things:
Priorities: What are the top 1-3 areas of focus this week?
Bottlenecks: What can’t move forward without someone else’s input or approval? This allows team members or leaders to either step in and clear the path or set follow-ups. (Flag anything that requires a longer discussion for the end of the meeting.)
Quick wins: Make a habit to celebrate small victories. This is crucial for boosting team morale and helping people feel momentum, even in a busy sprint. Be intentional in allocating time regularly for this, and be authentic, not performative.
This structure keeps updates meaningful and time-bound. It is the difference between a 50-minute and a two-hour meeting.
Beyond time efficiency, this structure serves to reinforce everyone’s understanding of each other and how the team dynamic is set up for a bigger purpose. Academic leadership papers call this an effective transactive memory system, but this is essentially a reminder of who can I go to for what.
3. Allot time for overflow
Always allow opportunity at the end for topics raised during the meeting that are only relevant to a few people. This raises a culture where team members can say, “let’s flag that for overflow time,” enabling a social etiquette for others to drop off and get back to work. A simple cue which respects everyone’s schedule and still creates space for deeper collaboration where needed.
A sample agenda might look like this:
Scenario
Meeting: Monday Morning WIP
Team: Marketing department
Size: 12 people (1 ELT lead, middle managers, key staff)
Scheduled for: 10am – 10:50am (starts after people have time to independently settle into their week)
Agenda
10am – 10:10am: The big picture:
ELT lead shares priorities and updates from the executive team.10:10am – 10:40am: The medium picture:
Group updates by project (e.g. website reskin, social media strategy audit, sponsorship negotiation). Each project lead shares their current (1) priorities, (2) bottlenecks, (3) quick wins.10:40am – 10:50am: Overflows:
Only relevant members stay to discuss flagged items in more detail. Others leave.
Save this framework for your next progress meeting, and if you feel so inclined, share with me what you’ve found to be effective in leading your team huddles.