How do you start your meetings?

Every Metronomics coach will lead you towards always opening your meetings with good news or celebrations. We go around the table, real or virtual, and each team member shares something positive – either work related, or personal.

Often, the request runs into an initial resistance from some team members. “I don’t have any good news” or “it’s hard to come up with it every day” are the most common pushbacks.

Don’t give in to this excuse. Keep insisting this needs to happen at every meeting.

Why do we do it? Well, there are a few very good reasons. The benefits of the Good News agenda item are sometimes obvious, sometimes less so. Here are a few to consider:

Sets the tone of the meeting

There’s something good happening every day. Sometimes it just takes effort to look for it. It is a worthy investment in your team culture.

Fires up the right parts of the brain

Optimism is an evolutionary advantage. If we can’t imagine a better future, what would be the point of putting in the effort? Like anything else, it is a skill that needs practicing, and those mental circuits need exercise even in tough times.

Increases the cohesion in the team

We learn a lot about each other by what we celebrate, what we laugh at, and where we see the silver lining – or not.

Celebrates and communicates Core Values

Good News is actually the best place to strengthen our Core Values. The most powerful entry into the Good News category is a celebration of a value. In fact, we promote Core Values based recognition as the most preferred type – before we talk about an accomplishment, general recognition, our favorite sport team or just the fact that we had a good weekend.

The good news is that it only takes a few weeks for the Good News to become a habit – of course, assuming the right meeting cadence is in place.

So again, how do you start your meetings?