Two Things to Do After Every Meeting

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MEETINGS
Two Things to Do After Every
Meeting
by Paul Axtell
NOVEMBER 26, 2015
Steve Jobs insisted that every item on a meeting agenda have a designated person responsible
for that task and any follow-up work that happened. He called that person the DRI—the
Directly Responsible Individual. He knew the public accountability would ensure that a
project or task would actually get done, and he wanted to set clear, organized instructions for
his team to follow.
It sounds simple enough, and yet the majority of managers and leaders completely fail to do
this. We’ve all left meetings feeling good about what we discussed only to later wonder why
so little happened as a result. Where did the momentum go?
There are a number of reasons why the productive conversations in a meeting seemingly go
nowhere. Attendees are often immediately running to another meeting where their attention
shifts to a new set of issues. Or people leave the meeting without clarity about what was
agreed upon.
To make sure productivity doesn’t slow after you walk out of the room, do two things after
and in between meetings: Quickly send out clear and concise meeting notes and follow up on
the commitments made.
Meeting notes
As the Chinese proverb goes, “The palest ink is better than the best memory.” If you don’t
capture the conversation and put into a form that can be easily retrieved later, the thinking
and the agreements can be lost.
Meeting notes aren’t a necessary burden. They’re a powerful way to influence others. They
help inform people who weren’t there about what happened and remind those who were
there about what agreements they made. You can use them to keep everyone on the same
page and focused on what you all need to get done before you meet next.
If you are working to reduce the number of people who attend your meetings, the notes take
on more importance because people love to be included and informed. Sharing a summary of
the meeting is an important part of working on engagement.
Here’s what works: Distribute concise, clear notes about the meeting. Historically, minutes
were like court transcriptions, capturing everything that was said during the meeting. This is
not what you want. A single page will suffice for most meetings. The intent is not to re-create
the discussion but to capture the key points and the specific commitments for each topic, so
that non-attendees have a sense of what happened and all have a record of who will take
further action.
These notes should state each topic you discussed, the key takeaways, and a list of specific
actions that will be taken, by which people, and by when.
Write and distribute the meeting summary within 24 hours, if not sooner. Your ability to
remember and capture the essence of each conversation lessens with each passing hour.
Sending the summary out within an hour or by the end of the day also demonstrates a sense
of urgency.
Follow up on commitments
Persistence is a key influence skill. If you want anything to happen, you must follow up,
follow up, and follow up.
A university president once asked me to come do a training for a group of faculty and alumni
because he thought they lacked leadership skills. He had pulled the group together two years
prior to discuss starting a new school of journalism. They had a productive meeting and
everyone was excited about the project. He had told them he was willing and able to provide
whatever support they needed as they got the initiative off the ground. But two years later,
nothing had happened and the president was convinced it was because the people in that
meeting didn’t have the right skills.
But, in reality, he didn’t have a new journalism school because he hadn’t followed up. If he’d
checked in with the group two weeks after the meeting, then followed up every few weeks
until the project was up and running, it likely would’ve been a different story. Perhaps he
would’ve learned that people in the room did have some skill deficits but he could’ve helped
take care of those while they pushed the project forward.
Often managers, like this president, think that people are self-starters—natural leaders who
only need an idea and the autonomy to pursue it. Talented, committed people do not always
do what they say they will do, and we shouldn’t be surprised when they don’t. People are
pulled in all different directions and overwhelmed with too much work. If you want a project
to be completed, you have to follow up closely and consistently. Otherwise, rich ideas easily
fall by the wayside.
Some managers are concerned that close follow-up might be interpreted as micromanaging.
They don’t want to be accused of not trusting people to perform. In reality, consistent follow-
up is a necessary part of project leadership.
Here’s what works:
At the end of each topic in a meeting, pause to agree on next steps and establish specific
commitments with clear deadlines.
Let people know they can negotiate at the time they make the commitments, especially
with regard to due dates.
Don’t use the automatic “by the next meeting” as the due date. Be thoughtful about what
timing make the most sense.
Make clear that you expect each commitment will be fulfilled as agreed upon, and if
something comes up, you expect they’ll reach out to discuss the change.
Assign someone to check in at appropriate intervals to ensure the commitments will be
kept as promised or re-evaluated if something unexpected comes up.
One of the biggest complaints I hear from leaders is that they spend too much time in
meetings. Designing and leading better meetings will help make better use of everyone’s
time. But documenting commitments and managing the progress after the meeting is over
will also help make future meetings are more productive or even unnecessary.
Paul Axtell has more than 35 years of experience as a personal effectiveness consultant
and corporate trainer. He has spent the last 15 years designing and leading programs that
enhance individual and group performance within large organizations. His latest book,
Meetings Matter: 8 Powerful Strategies for Remarkable Conversation, was recently named a
Finalist for the 2015 USA Best Book Awards.
Related Topics: LEADING TEAMS | PRODUCTIVITY
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