EIGHT-MINUTE MEETINGS.... · Success is a System

EIGHT-MINUTE MEETINGS....

.....do as many meetings in an hour as some do in a day

I met Allan in Paris at the France/Brazil World Cup and later had a mentoring session with him. He's the businessman who started at Mars, helped turn Asda around before its sale to Walmart, went on to hold a string (dozens in fact) of senior board roles, and is now back as Asda’s executive chair.

I remember being struck by one of his habits: eight-minute meetings.

Some meetings had no chairs, just high tables.

The thinking was simple: sit down and people get comfortable;

stand up and they’re more likely to stay alert and focused.

It made me think about how casually we book an hour.

“Have you got time for a meeting?”

“Of course. I’ll put an hour in.”

Then we sit down, settle in, chew the fat and sometimes spend more time talking around the issue than dealing with it.

An eight-minute meeting makes you prepare.

You need a clear point to discuss,

a decision to make or an outcome to agree.

Everyone needs to know why they’re there.