You Need to have Tactical and Strategic Meetings—But Not at the Same Time
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Hey Founder,
Meetings. They’re the heartbeat of any organization. But, let’s face it, not all meetings are created equal. There’s a stark difference between tactical and strategic discussions, and trying to blend them into one can lead to confusion and inefficiency.
The weekly tactical meeting serves a crucial purpose. It’s your chance to touch base, review the past week, and figure out how everyone can support each other in moving things forward. This 30-60 minutes is the meat-and-potatoes time you need to keep operations on track.
However, it’s essential to recognize what the weekly meeting is not. It’s not the arena for wrestling with the big, complex issues or for deep planning. Strategic thinking demands a different mindset and more time.
This is where the monthly strategic meeting steps in. Scheduled a couple of weeks after the financial statements are in, it provides the space to take a step back and approach your business like an external consultant. Unlike the weekly meetings, the monthly session should be three to four hours long. This extended timeframe allows for a thorough examination of short- to medium-term strategic matters without the pressure to rush through them.
By removing the rush factor, you create an environment for strategic discussions to breathe, ensuring that you and your team reach a true alignment. Without this, you might find yourself revisiting the same problems month after month.
I understand the urge to address a “hot topic” immediately, but as you jot it down on a list of potential subjects for the upcoming monthly meeting, you’ll often find that its urgency diminishes by the time the meeting arrives. Many issues tend to resolve themselves with a bit of time.
For those pressing matters that persist and require the focused attention of a monthly strategic meeting, a structured approach can be highly effective. Here’s a four-step outline to optimize your monthly strategic meetings:
Current Situation Review (max 30 minutes): Provide quick updates on departments, investments, and review KPIs and financial results. The goal here is to identify potential topics for deeper discussion.
Prioritize Topics and Agenda (5 minutes): Select 2-4 key topics, prioritizing them by importance. Designate topic leaders and allocate time accordingly.
Work the Agenda (2-3 hours): Address topics in priority order, presenting key facts, facilitating question rounds, and seeking team input. Ensure clear agreements at the conclusion of each discussion.
End the Meeting: Review and clarify agreements, and determine communication plans.
If a topic is too extensive for a monthly meeting, consider scheduling it for a quarterly retreat, dedicating the necessary time for resolution.
As usual, I am always here to you turn your meetings into tools for driving strategy and propelling your business forward.
Sincerely,
Rob, Scalepassion
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All credit to my ghostwriting partner, Dave Moore, who is instrumental in getting my thoughts out in a coherent manner & into these blogs. Thanks Dave!