Making Team Meetings Matter

In my years as a principal, one of my primary responsibilities was to empower and equip my staff and ensure our school's mission was accomplished. A significant part of this was developing a cohesive team and conducting effective meetings that were both meaningful and strategic. 

Here’s a framework that I used to create my agendas and lead my meetings. 

By incorporating these structured steps, the meetings become more than just routine check-ins—they transform into meaningful, productive gatherings that build relationships, recognize contributions, drive strategic progress, and align everyone with the school's vision. Here's how each step adds value:

1. Connecting Relationally: This helps build trust and strengthens the team culture. When team members feel personally connected, they are more likely to collaborate effectively and feel committed to the team's success. Spending the first five minutes sharing personal stories about family help establish authentic relationships.

2. Showing Appreciation and Adding Value: Recognizing individual and group achievements boosts morale and motivates continued effort. Sharing valuable resources and training opportunities also supports professional growth, showing team members that their development is a priority.

3. Recapping and Strategic Planning: After setting a positive tone through connection and appreciation, we would get down to business. I always started this part of the meeting with a brief recap of what we discussed last time and the progress we had made. This practice kept everyone aligned and accountable. 

4. Vision and Direction: Reiterating the school's mission and vision keeps everyone aligned with the bigger picture. It reminds team members of their collective purpose and how their work contributes to broader goals, which can be incredibly motivating.

5. FAM BAM (From a Meeting, Book a Meeting): To maintain momentum and ensure accountability, we ended each meeting with FAM BAM – From a Meeting, Book a Meeting. Scheduling follow-up meetings was crucial to discuss progress and keep the team on track. Confirming action items, setting deadlines, and securing our next meeting date kept projects moving forward and fostered a culture of accountability.

By incorporating these steps into our team meetings, I found that we could build stronger relationships, maintain focus on our mission, and continuously push toward achieving our school's goals. Empowering my staff, fostering a positive and collaborative environment, and keeping everyone aligned with our vision proved to be essential in watching our team thrive.