The Most Important Types of Business Meetings Your Company Needs

Another meeting? Really?

Let’s be honest—we've all silently groaned at the thought of adding another meeting to our already jam-packed work schedules. That’s often because we’ve been in too many unproductive meetings that have sucked away precious time (and a piece of our soul, if we’re being real). When are we supposed to run our business and keep everyone on track—and get the work done we’re meeting about, right?

But here’s the thing: Business meetings don't have to be the enemy. In fact, the right meetings happening in the right cadences, or rhythms, will help you develop stronger communication, healthier teams and a thriving company culture. The key is to figure out what meetings actually move your company forward. Then it’s up to you to make these meetings part of the regular rhythm of your business operations.

Now, let's dive into more about why regular business meetings matter and which ones to add to your communication rhythms.

Why Business Meetings Are Important

Every business—yep, yours included—should have certain standing meetings that only move when there’s an emergency or a major conflict. Why? Because purposeful business meetings give you and your team a chance to share important information, make decisions, and build relationships. (We’ll talk about the types of business meetings you need in just a minute.) Without the right meetings in place, things fall apart fast. But with them, you and your team members become stronger in these areas:

• Communication that aligns everyone with the company’s goals, provides clarity on tasks, and provides space to talk openly about wins and challenges
• Accountability at work on progress, which keeps team members on track
• Collaboration that brings different perspectives and leads to more creative, effective solutions
• Culture-building that prioritizes team bonding and rapport and reinforces company values

Types of Business Meetings

The dream is to have meetings that benefit your whole team and move your business forward. With that vision to inspire you, let’s talk about what types of business meetings are most important to have regularly.

First, a few housekeeping notes:

1. If you’re a small company, you won’t need every meeting right away. Your top priority is making payday by Friday, not annual planning—we get it. So adjust your meetings to what works best now for professional accountability and team alignment. Then add more in or change the cadences to help you stay connected and accountable as your team grows. (If you’re looking for a way to grow your business more efficiently, the first four meetings are an essential part of the EntreLeadership System—the road map that takes the guesswork out of your business’s growth.)
2. It will take a few months to find your meeting groove, and that’s totally normal. Introduce new meetings just a few at a time and stick with them. Thousands of thriving EntreLeadership business leaders confirm these meetings have turned their business operations around. How? Instead of managing by the seat of their pants, they’re tackling issues proactively—through recurring meetings.
3. Remember—these standing meetings shouldn’t be moved unless there’s an emergency . . . or a holiday (no one needs to be in a meeting on Christmas day). Over time, they create a rhythm that helps everyone stay organized, productive and connected.

Every week, gather your entire team for a 30- to 60-minute staff meeting. This doesn’t need to be a fancy or overly produced gathering. Simply focus on these main goals:

 1. Beat the drum on company vision and culture. Lead with purpose, teaching on your vision or one of your core values to remind everyone who you are as a company and why the work you do matters. When you do this, adding in stories about the company and real customers whose lives you’ve made better, you keep your mission front and center and inspire your team.

2. Give general announcements. Introduce new team members, mourn losses, and give revenue and project updates. This is also where you’ll remind everyone about progress toward company-wide goals.

3. Celebrate individual, team and business wins. If a customer brags on your business or a team member, pass it on. You can also share work anniversaries and birthdays and shout out accomplishments.

All-staff meetings are a time for transparency and unity, reminding everyone they’re part of something bigger.

Wondering which meeting you can’t do without for long-term success? Wonder no more. It’s weekly one-on-ones between leaders and their direct reports—100 percent. Why? Because, done well, one-on-ones show you care about your team members and give them space to discuss challenges, goals and where they need extra support. This translates into more engaged teams, lower turnover, and a lot more trust and fun together!

Plan anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes every week or two with each person you lead. After a quick catch-up on life, use your time to hit on one or two of these key areas based on your team member’s needs:

1. Accountability: Professional accountability ensures your team member feels responsible for their work and owns how their role helps the company move forward.

2. Clearing blockers: You want your team members to win, so help them overcome setbacks and reach their goals. Whatever the challenge, let them know you’ve got their back.

 3. Coaching: Even if you’re leading someone with more experience in their discipline than you, you can offer valuable leadership perspective. Listen well, ask good questions, and show them you’re there for them. If you’re not sure how to get started, ask this simple question: What’s on your mind right now? You’ll be amazed by what you learn—maybe they’ve got a big trip coming up, a baby on the way, or another personal milestone worth celebrating. This question also opens an opportunity to coach your team member through a tough issue like how to deal with a difficult coworker or personal loss. Never take lightly the privilege of speaking into others’ leadership growth, work and lives.

Pro tip: If adding in one-on-one meetings seems like a lot to bite off, you might need others to help you carry the load. Learn how to develop other leaders and then delegate well.

Weekly leader meetings are where your key leadership team gathers for tactical, working sessions to solve problems and drive your business forward. Together you’ll make strategic decisions for the week ahead and ensure your leaders stay aligned on the company’s vision and goals.

Develop a list of issues, opportunities and topics you want to address, including actions like budget review, goal setting, strategic planning and team changes. Encourage your leaders to bring any challenges they see too. Sometimes you’ll knock out issues in minutes, but other times you’ll need a few sessions to clear the path toward your vision.

Finding time to work on your business, not just in it, is hard—really hard sometimes. But the only way to move through the Stages of Business is to get above your company and plan your path forward. In other words, you’ve got to set aside time for quarterly and annual strategic planning.

What exactly is quarterly planning? It’s time (usually a half to full day) dedicated to planning next steps and setting goals for the upcoming three months. You’ll also look at your progress toward existing goals and adjust strategies and objectives as you need to.

Your annual strategic planning meeting is a lot like your quarterly meetings, but you're looking further out. During annual planning, you'll create a desired future statement to guide your business decisions for the coming year. What does a desired future statement do? It brings clarity and alignment on where your business is headed and what winning looks like for your company. And it keeps you on the straight and narrow path toward your priorities, or key results.

Both quarterly and annual planning meetings are critical times for reflection and forward thinking. So even if you don't have a leadership team yet, use the time to review where you’re winning, losing and primed for growth.

These quick meetings are perfect for specific discipline teams, like your sales or customer service teams. If your team is small and wearing lots of hats, just gather everyone for a quick connect. Hint: Actually stand up at these meetings instead of sitting down around a conference table to keep them short and to the point.

Stand-ups happen early in the workday and last just 5 or 10 minutes. The point is for everyone to share what they’re working on today and any blockers they’re facing. Daily stand-ups anchor everyone to action. If something’s in the way of achieving a goal, the team looks for ways to clear obstacles so they can go faster.

Leaders aren’t born, they’re built. So set aside an hour or more each month to help your leaders own your company values and develop skills from building relationships and casting vision to making decisions and driving results. This training gives your leaders a shared language and a chance to connect on their pain points and wins.

Pro tip: If you’re an EntreLeadership Elite member, use Elite’s video courses and eCoaching videos to align and inspire your leaders during your monthly training sessions.

Annual reviews (also called annual check-ins) shouldn’t be scary, uncertain or bomb-drop events for team members. They’re a review of a year’s worth of work accomplished by each team member and should be extensions of the one-on-one meetings you’ve been doing all year, just longer and often with a pay raise for work well done.

Take an hour or more to grab a coffee or lunch and talk with your team member about their major milestones and honor their wins. Next, review how they’ve met their Key Results Areas, then challenge them with one major growth area based on the potential you see in them. Annual check-ins are a special chance to pour into every team member’s personal and career development.

Business Meetings in Different Work Environments

Businesses today work in all kinds of ways. Your team may be all in one office, out in the field, or spread across the country or world. You may have team members on-site, online or a hybrid of both. Whatever your makeup, think outside the box on how to prioritize real human-to-human connections, and make these meeting rhythms work for you. For remote teams, leverage tools and technology like Zoom, Slack or Microsoft Teams, and ensure everyone has a chance to participate. The key is consistency and creativity.

Prioritize the right communication rhythms to drive your company forward. Remember, the goal of business communication strategies isn’t to fill calendars with meetings and suck souls. None of that, please. It’s to use meetings strategically to build a stronger, more connected and more effective team.