Your Sign to Implement 15-Minute Meetings

It’s 5 p.m. on a Tuesday. You are sitting at your desk for what feels like the first time after back-to-back meetings that started at 9 a.m. 

If you’re an extrovert, you may be radiating with the rush of accomplishment and energy from a “productive” day moving projects forward. If you’re an introvert, you may be feeling grateful for a bit of quiet and solace after a day of “people-ing.”

After a quick bit of internal celebration, you look down at your notebook and all of the “to do” items picked up throughout the day. Oof!! 

While there are certainly situations that warrant a significant meeting time:

• Team building exercises and retreats

• Developing relationships with new contacts

• Strategizing new business opportunities / future planning

There are just as many meetings that could’ve been an email - or better yet - a quick 15-minutes of verbal explanation and task affirmation. Moves like this can maximize efficiency and minimize the stress and overwhelm that lead to burnout.  

65% of employees would consider leaving an organization due to burnout or being overworked. -Workhuman, 2023

With increasing rates of employee burnout across the board, companies that value employees’ time and create intentional space to DO work within “work hours” are winning at talent retention and attraction. 

Here are a few key pieces to keep in mind when you host 15-minute meetings.

DO: 

• Be Clear | Have a meeting objective and send the agenda ahead of time, including who will speak to what items. Encourage attendees to come prepared

• Be Timely | Start and end on time, no matter what. Especially in early stages of implementation, setting clear boundaries and sticking to them is ultimately beneficial for everyone on the team to dial in.

• Live in the Now | Maximize these meetings by focusing on current challenges and clearing pathways to success. For weekly team check-ins, meeting Monday and Friday provides major insights in employee needs and potential scope creep. 

DON’T:

• Go Down the Rabbit Hole | You know the type. When a tangent begins, verbalize that it is being put in the “Parking Lot” to revisit outside of this meeting - and write it down for accountability. 

• Introduce Outliers | I.e. anything “new.” A new process, new client, new project, etc. Once the team has a full understanding and download on what’s “new,” then 15-minute meetings for status updates can thrive.

• Forget Why You Started | This is not a benefit to employees if their calendar just becomes stacked with 15-minute meetings. 

All together, implementing 15-minute meetings is pretty simple. And it’s a free gift that gives back a precious resource to your employees. TIME. 

Share your 15-minute meeting dreams or hacks with me at hello@aokconsult.com.