End with an action plan

Creativity thrives in limitations, and little check-in meetings with a specific agenda and a clear briefing to brainstorm can provide excellent results, as they have built-in time constraints.

Online collaborative tools let us literally be on the same page, editing a document together, collaborating using the phone or the built-in chat.

Remote working makes the participants prioritize time, effort and activities. There are less wasted minutes as the participants are prepared and on time.

During a meeting, do not penalize the people who were there on time by waiting for others who are late. 

Assume that the latecomer is not coming at all and get right on with the meeting.  

During meetings, it’s very important to get input from everybody, not only from those eager to contribute but even from those who are shyer and less likely to speak up.  

By having a question-based approach as opposed to topics, participants begin to think and act differently, marching towards the true intent of the being together, with intention.

Agenda questions can be molded to be like goals for the employees, to get them on their feet, energizing them and focusing their attention.

Group goals promote group performance, and specific goals are much better than vague goals. The meeting questions, formed as goals, need to be challenging but not outlandish.

For a meeting to meet this outcome, or objective, you have to be clear about what it is.

• Priorities – what absolutely must be covered?
• Results – what do you need to accomplish at the meeting?
• Participants – who needs to attend the meeting for it to be successful?
• Sequence – in what order will you cover the topics?
• Timing – how much time will spend on each topic?
• Date and time – when will the meeting take place?
• Place – where will the meeting take place?

• Use video, but also provide an audio dial-in-option,
• Test the equipment you are going to use before the meeting.
• Make sure people can see each other properly.
• Set an agenda, set some rules and clearly outline the next steps.
• Make sure presentations take very little time.
• Set a facilitator and call on people individually to speak.
• Capture feedback in real-time and tackle difficult issues.

If there’s nothing to discuss, it’s ok to cancel. People, too often, view 1:1s as mandatory, but it’s refreshing when you both acknowledge that things are ok for now, or the time may be better spent other ways.

It is a simple, symbolic practice that helps them feel ownership and autonomy for their work and their time. 

You’re saying, “You tell me what’s important,” and of course you can coach and guide them to help refine over time what’s important. 

• If this is a new process you are putting in place at your company/in your team, be transparent about it.
• Be clear that you do this with all employees who work directly for you.
• Book a regular cadence of 1:1s. They should not be ad-hoc. It’s ok to skip one every once and awhile, but having it locked into the calendar is a commitment.
• Decide the best cadence with them (weekly or every other week? 30 minutes or an hour?) and what the format should be.

• Topics in a 1:1 should be about professional growth, personal connection and for giving each other feedback. Do not use the meeting to re-hash things from a group meeting, unless there are specific things you took off-line in that meeting or need to provide/get constructive feedback.
• 24 hours or so before the meeting, email the employee a list of what you’d like to cover. Try to do a split between strategic, tactical and personal items and always ask your employee what they want to cover too. 

Employees' health and well-being should come first. There may be a perceived choice between productivity and well-being. But, engagement is a natural by-product of well-being.

People are worried about health, job security, their kids' education, life on the other side of the crisis. Micro-managing will not create focus. Tactics like time-tracking software will only compound the problem. Instead, focus on easing their fears. The more distractions we as leaders can clear away, the more effective our people will be.

• Part of the response is to hold performance and growth check-ins to acknowledge the contribution each employee is making and help them manage their longer-term professional goals.
• Err on the side of overcommunicating. Create a communication plan and be consistent. E.g., a daily email from the heads of each unit, or video messages from the CEO. Share even the bad news, to prevent employees from inventing their own stories to fill the void.
• Keep a tight feedback loop. Know how your employees are coping, how their work is affected, and how they think leadership can help.
• Be mindful of the resources you're consuming. Don't consume additional masks, disinfectants, and other supplies that hospitals need.

• Personal productivity is not about all-round efficiency, and it is wrong to think about your input as that of a machine in a factory unit.
• This is further complicated by our mistaken assumption that being in demand means that we are doing a splendid job.
• We blur our all boundaries between our work and personal life and every minute of the day is to be kept busy as we rush to attend every meeting, cross out every task from the to-do list or to answer every email that we get.

Our brain starts to favour small tasks that give a false impression of productivity (woohoo! I just sent out fifty emails!) while we neglect the large, complex but meaningful tasks.

This is known as the completion bias.

The act of becoming aware of where your attention is focused helps you to direct your attention where you want it to be - on creating something significant.

To learn to control your attention, set aside at least one time period per day to focus without interruption. Let it be no more than 90 minutes at a time. Do something important but not urgent.

Ask yourself: Are you scheduling time daily to focus without interruption?