My family and I recently spent a week together on vacation.
 
We hiked, toasted marshmallows for s’mores, and explored one of Minnesota’s lakes by boat. That said, it wouldn’t have mattered what we did.
 
We were together; we were present. Mostly.
 
You see, for me, family vacations aren’t about what we do but how we spend time together. With two kids, ages 9 and 17, and two busy parents that is often easier said than done. The allure of email, work-related phone calls, social media sites, and Netflix is real. Disconnecting from devices is hard but an important step for us to connect as a family.
 
Let’s be honest: we didn’t totally disconnect. After all, I have a Timehop streak to continue and our teen has a social life to maintain. Still, we intentionally talked and did things together without the distractions of devices, housework, work projects, and more.
 
We learned things about each other. My kids played together – with eight years between them, that doesn’t happen much at home. We took things a little slower.
 
It reminded me of a vacation we took when my youngest was 3 and we watched a big, black beetle meander across the sidewalk. My son’s questions rarely stopped: “Where is he going? What is he doing? Why? Why? Why?” As I observed his focus on the bug, I focused on being with my son in the moment.
 
By the time the bug made its way down the sidewalk and to the nearby road, my husband and then 11-year-old had had enough beetle watching. I stayed until the youngest decided it was time to leave. For days following, he asked and wondered about that simple insect.
 
I wondered too – whether I would remember our bug and be reminded to be present when I was no longer in vacation mode.
 
This year we didn’t have a beetle, but my family experienced small moments that are seared into our hearts and memories because we slowed down and took time to be with each other.
 
May you find time to watch beetles this summer. After all, if you don’t have time to watch a beetle cross the road during vacation, when do you?
 
– Anita

Let’s face it: we spend a lot of time in meetings.
 
On average, employees attend 62 hours of meetings in a month, according to Forbes magazine. Related research from Bain & Company found that executives spent up to 15% of an organization’s collective time in meetings, a percentage that has been increasing in the last decade.
 
Sure, we could schedule fewer meetings but we could also make better use of the time we have together.
 
Earlier this year, I shared some tips with our our local chamber about how to make meetings more efficient, more productive, more fun. To prepare for the presentation, I analyzed observations and inhaled information from respected speakers and authors exploring similar topics. Below are some of the resources I found most helpful plus links to other Reach Partners posts related to #BetterMeetings.
 
Whether you have 15 minutes or five days, you’ll find these resources engaging. Enjoy!
 
–Rachel
 
Meetings, Meetings, Meetings!
Here are some good resources to help you make the most of your time together:

VIDEOS

• The 22 Minute Meeting by Nicole Steinbock – Learn 9 easy steps to better meetings. Seriously, it’s as easy as washing your hands!

 
BOOKS

• Where the Action Is, the Meetings That Make or Break Your Organization by J. Elise Keith – A resource for making every kind of business meeting better.
• The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker – Starting with purpose will make every meeting or gathering meaningful
• The Surprising Science of Meetings by Stephen G. Rogelberg

ARTICLES

• 9 Ways Introverts Can Be Heard in Meetings |Science of People

Culture at Work 
Productive, meaningful meetings can only take place when you have a supportive and encouraging team and work environment. Here are some tools to help you define and build a work environment for positive innovation:

VIDEOS

• Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace by Amy Edmondson, TEDxHGSE
• Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe by Simon Senek, TED
• How to Build a Company Where the Best Ideas Win by Ray Dalio, TED

BOOKS

• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown – This book reflects on how to bring your whole person to work, every day, every meeting.
  ​

ARTICLES

• 14 Ways You Can Improve Psychological Safety at Work | Forbes
• Five Questions About Psychological Safety, Answered by Wendy Hirsch | Science for Work
• High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here's How to Create It by Laura Delizonna | Harvard Business Review
• Ofactor Pulse Survey - A way for you to measure organizational trust
• Google Guide to Team Effectiveness – The tech giant looks into what makes teams effective and innovative.

 
Reach Partners Articles
At Reach Partners, we’ve done a lot of research and thinking about how to make meetings better. After all, we’ve attended and led our fair share of them. Here are a few of our favorite blog posts on the topic:

• Why Face-to-Face Gatherings Matter
• No Meeting Agenda? Yes, That's a Problem
• Silence as a Super Power
• The Recap:Start Off Your Meetings Strong
• Eat, Pause, Move: Bring Focus to Your Meeting
• How to Use Rituals to Build Better Connections
• Guerilla Tactics for Keeping Meetings on Track

Here’s your challenge for the month: Take on the difficult project that nobody else wants to do.

Or volunteer to handle the assignment that has been kicked back-and-forth between team members and do it with gusto.

Whoa … what?!

That’s right. Next time someone makes a request that nobody else wants to take on, make eye contact with the person and say, “yes.” Become the go-to person who solves problems and has an enthusiastic attitude.

Here’s how you can be the hero when facing a tough project:

1. Stop and pause. Start by taking a deep breath. When you get a new assignment, it’s tempting to move ahead at full speed. This time, pause before diving into the details. Follow some advice from business trainer Cy Wakeman and reflect on this question: if this is my reality, how can I be great? From your perspective, what would success look like? From leadership’s perspective, what expectations must be met?
   
   
2. Determine what you know. Grab a notebook or your laptop and draft two lists: What do you know? What do you need to know? Now identify who has the information you need and connect with them to get it.
   
   
3. Ask the tough questions. If a project has been passed between multiple people, something isn’t right. Maybe the scope or the outcome of the project isn’t clear. Maybe the project isn’t critical to the team or organization at the time. Take time and ask questions. Without blaming or pointing fingers, try to understand why the project hasn’t moved forward. Gather enough information so that you can draft a project charter.
   
   
4. Identify the first three steps. To start a project you have to, well, start. Even if you don’t have the entire project plan in place, start by identifying the early steps. What’s the first thing you need to do? The second? The third? Once those steps are completed, identify the next group of three. Before you know it, progress will be made.
   
   
5. Request help. Sometimes there’s a good reason nobody wants to volunteer for a project. Maybe the time frame is too tight to do what is expected. Maybe you don’t have the in-house skills or talent to accomplish what needs to be done. In this case, being the hero may mean bringing on a new partner – like Reach Partners – to assist. It’s okay. Being the hero means solving the problem, even if it means delegating.
   
   

Next time there’s a tough project circulating through your team, raise your hand confidently.