One of the most common complaints as a leader tends to be: I can’t fix what I can’t see.  In a fast-paced environment, or if your organization is growing leaps and bounds, you might find yourself heavily removed from the minutiae on a day to day basis.

Things that you might have typically been involved in are now being managed by leadership that you trust; leaders that you are creating a clearing for so that they may grow in their roles and build their teams.  However, the feedback loop isn’t always what you’d like it to be, or perhaps is simply being overlooked as people are running around in their daily jobs.

When looking to build a strong, open culture in your business you can typically start with simple steps that result in large improvements.  We all spend a lot of time in meetings, and this is one simple area that can be modified to ensure that communication is improved and that your meetings are a safe place for sharing with your leaders and teammates.

Here are some pointers for you to apply to your meeting structure:

• Start all meetings with “clearings.”  Clearings provide a chance for all attendees to share any questions, concerns, or situations that might be impacting their ability to be present in the meeting as an active participant.  This also ensures you don’t let any weeds grow between colleagues.  Get these issues out on the table and address them constructively instead of letting them grow into bigger problems.
• Dedicate time for recognition in each meeting.  A simple thank you goes a long way towards building loyalty, trust, and teamwork into your culture.  Recognize the efforts of others and be thankful for what they contribute to you, the team, and the company.
• If there are tough conversations within a meeting, make sure you confirm that everyone feels heard as part of that process.  When emotions run high, sometimes you’ll only capture the commentary from those who are louder.  Make sure that everyone has a voice and that their opinions are heard to avoid any future clearings or issues on that subject.
• Only allow the usage of technology that is helping make the meeting more efficient and productive.  If you have remote people, invest time in getting video conferencing to work to foster better connectivity and participation.  Enforce a “no multitasking” rule to ensure everyone is present and stop people from using phones and other devices within the meetings.

These simple adjustments to your daily meetings will pay dividends in the long run and ensure that you build a culture that will foster your high-performance team and ultimately impact your bottom line.