The year is coming to a close. And with it begins a new year and a fresh opportunity to reset and make next your best year ever. Sure, you've met with your leadership team, and maybe you've even built a budget for the upcoming year. Perhaps you've even put together an annual plan with your leadership team. But what about the rest of your organization? Are their efforts aligned to that budget? Do they have a good understanding of what the plan is for the year, and how their role contributes to it?
---INSERT THE ALL-STAFF MEETING---
I can practically hear your eyes rolling as you read that phrase. We all have been in good, productive meetings, and we have all been in and dread bad meetings. And meetings with the entire company are hard to schedule, tough to get engagement in, and can cost a lot of payroll. But what might the benefits be if that meeting is done well?
Alignment
Shared Goals & Priorities
A Chance to Celebrate Wins and Discuss Losses & Mistakes
You'd be surprised how profound an all staff meeting can be, especially if there is meaningful follow up throughout the year. To make this work, think about implementing the following best practices:
Make the meeting easy to attend
Decrease the entry barrier by closing your business a bit early or opening a bit later so everyone can attend. Make sure you pay people for their time in attending the meeting. Do your best to find a time that will work for everyone, even your part time staff. Make the agenda one that people will WANT to be there for. And lastly, make the meeting short. 60 minutes max, but closer to 30 is better.
Make the agenda clear, enticing, and to the point
Above all, the meeting has to be one your teams will want to attend. This is achieved by making it information that is relevant to them, IE: things that affect their income, their day-to-day, and their career potential.
Make the meeting about transparency & alignment
Share the company's wins and misses in the previous year. Own mistakes, and include a plan to improve. This level of transparency, ownership and vulnerability from top leadership drives an enormous amount of trust and ultimately loyalty. Share the company goals for the upcoming year. Keep it simple, start with the why, and make sure people understand how these goals might impact their workflow.
Have fun with it - Inspire your people
The fact of the matter is, a little theater goes a long way. Use this time to highlight the company vision and direction in a way that will resonate with your teams. Show up with a smile, and bring good energy to the room by being grateful for your staff and hopeful for the year ahead.
Always leave room for questions and comments
This should be a discussion not a sermon. Let your people share their thoughts. Someone asks a question you aren't prepared to answer? Follow up.
A good all-staff meeting is a conversation. not a sermon. Leave time for good discussion