Store Meetings, A Motivational Must (cont.)
What should an effective meeting accomplish?
First, store meetings should be twice per month for an hour (there are no really effective 15 minutes meetings!). All of the following assumes meetings of this frequency and duration.
They should seek to communicate, both ways.
Not just what you have to say to your people, but more importantly, what they have to say to you. Your employees collectively can solve nearly every challenge or problem your business may have if only you will listen. Remember what Lee
Iacocca said, that "The best communication in any business comes from the bottom up."
Resolve issues via discussion, brainstorming or decisions.
Meetings should be used to discuss and air issues, brainstorm solutions and should ultimately lead to decisions of action to be taken. Without all of this there are no good reasons to meet.
Motivate via Recognitions, Rewards, Inspiration, Problem Solving, etc.
Effective meetings offer many of these reasons for employees to look forward to them, but the greatest reason is if someone's going to get some positive strokes.
Unify the Troops.
Meetings are for building employee partnerships and to give psychological stimulation. Get your people thinking and more important, get them to want to think about what's happening with the store.
Create an Air of Expectancy for Future Meetings.
Meetings should be thought of as those important sessions where things get done, where people are informed, excited, and where they look forward to the next gathering of information and initiatives.