"Why are so many people in this meeting?"

I remember asking myself that question after attending a 90-minute committee meeting early in my career.

Before that role, I had worked with an organization that was intentionally reducing the number of meetings employees attended. Meetings became shorter. Agendas became clearer. When a topic required deeper discussion, only the people who were directly involved met afterward. At the time, I assumed that was normal.

Then I joined another organization and attended my first cross-functional committee meeting. Throughout the meeting, discussions drifted away from the agenda. People raised issues that only affected part of the group. Problems were debated by people who weren't responsible for solving them. Updates were shared that many attendees already knew. By the time the meeting ended, I found myself wondering why so many people had been in the room in the first place.

That experience taught me an important lesson. Effective teams aren't successful because they eliminate meetings. They're successful because they're intentional about why they meet. When teams create specific meeting types with specific outcomes, they spend less time in unnecessary meetings and more time doing meaningful work.

Too often, organizations try to accomplish everything in every meeting. The result is long discussions, unclear decisions, and frustrated employees. But when meetings have a clearly defined purpose, teams gain focus, improve communication, and create better outcomes.

Over the years, I've come to believe every meeting should exist for one of three reasons: to run the business, improve the business, or build the team. If a meeting doesn't fit one of those categories, it should probably be rethought.

In part one of this three-part series, let's start with meetings that run the business.

Run-the-business meetings ensure the organization operates effectively and succeeds at its work.

Daily Check-In (5–10 Minutes)

A quick standing meeting where each team member shares:

1. What they plan to accomplish today
2. Any roadblocks they are facing

The goal is visibility and coordination. If a blocker requires discussion, the relevant people can meet afterward.

Key Characteristics

1. Daily cadence
2. Brief updates from each team member
3. Standing format to keep the meeting moving
4. Quick identification of roadblocks

Weekly Tactical Meeting (60–90 Minutes)

This meeting focuses on the operational health of the team or organization. Using simple color-coded (green, yellow, red) scorecards and key metrics, participants review what is on track, what needs attention, and what is off-track and needs prompt correction.

The goal is transparency and problem solving, not blame.

Key Characteristics

1. Weekly cadence
2. Standardized scorecards and reporting
3. Focus on facts, metrics, and outcomes
4. Open discussion of issues
5. Collaborative problem solving

Strategic Meeting (2 Hours)

Whether monthly or quarterly, this meeting shifts the conversation from day-to-day operations to long-term priorities. Teams review progress against strategic initiatives and ensure their work is aligned with organizational goals.

Key Characteristics

1. Focus on strategic priorities
2. Alignment between team goals and organizational goals
3. Cross-functional thinking
4. Review of long-term initiatives

Quarterly Off-Site (1–2 Days)

While daily, weekly, and monthly meetings often involve the broader team, quarterly off-sites typically bring together organizational leaders to evaluate larger strategic questions. This meeting provides dedicated time for deeper planning and reflection. Leaders evaluate what is working, what is changing in the market, and where the organization should focus next.

Key Discussion Areas

1. Long-term strategy
2. Product and service priorities
3. Capacity planning
4. Financial forecasting
5. Market positioning
6. Operational improvements

When teams consistently use these meeting rhythms, they spend less time reacting and more time executing.

Next week, we’ll look at meetings that help organizations continuously improve the business.

I'd love to hear from you! Reply and let me know what meetings you use to "run the business" at your organization. I read every response and am excited to hear!
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P.S. If you're holding daily check-ins, consider creating a recurring Microsoft Teams meeting with a shared Microsoft Loop agenda. Team members can quickly update what they're working on and identify roadblocks before the meeting starts, making the conversation faster and more focused. Find Microsoft's updated instructions for this here.

P.P.S. On July 28, The Outlier Team is hosting a free meeting assessment course where you'll learn how to assess your current meetings and use Microsoft tools like Planner, To Do, and Teams to run better meetings. We only have fifteen spots, so sign up todayhere! Can't attend on that date, sign up anyway and we will send you a recording.

Perry Myers
​The Outlier Team​