Writing Agendas That Keep Teams Focused

I helped a COO cut delivery delays by 92% with one focused, 30 minute review a week. But it didn’t start that way. When I first met him, the teams were spending hours a week talking about priorities and alignment. They didn’t need that much time, They just didn’t know any different. Before I begin, a few terms I want you to be familiar with: Big Rocks - These are the most important goals of the week. We specify them, give a good definition of done, go over any questions, and then delegate them. Blockers - Anything that makes our big rocks impossible. These must be cleared ASAP. Openings - Optimizations that come up during our review, and are worth pursuing at this time. If they’re good ideas, but not worth pursuing now, we can still list them without an owner. With those out of the way, here is my condensed agenda for the most important meeting of the week: 1. Review last week Go over each Big Rock with the owner, as well as its status. If it’s still in progress, the owner should have an estimated completion date. If it’s too big to estimate, it’s too big of a rock. Chip it down. If it’s blocked, a fix needs to be identified and assigned with a deadline (more on that later). 2. Decide this week’s big rocks These are high leverage activities that will make everything else you do easier. They should be needle movers, not just busy work. As each is decided, discuss them in enough depth that everyone knows what the ideal outcome is, and how they can help deliver it. Clearly assign one owner to each rock. Confirm that they understand the outcome, and that all their questions have been answered. Document a clear first step so everyone knows how the ball is going to get rolling. 3. Blockers As you’re discussing past and future rocks, blockers will surface. These MUST be documented and assigned with clear deadlines. They should be assigned to the person who can clear them and 80% of the time that should NOT be you. If you’re having blockers assigned to you often, have someone shadow you on them a few times so you can eventually delegate to them. 4. Openings Throughout the discussions, opportunities for optimizations will also come up. These should only be pursued if 1) an attendee (not you) volunteers to take them on, and has the bandwidth to do so, or 2) they clearly tie back to a bigger objective that is already present. These are stretch goals unless they specifically become big rocks. Once they’re agreed on, assign an owner to them along with a clear next step so there’s a push to get the ball rolling. It may take a few times before ownership reviews like this become natural, but they are the single highest leverage activity you can do in only 30 minutes. I’ve even seen good reviews even start to replace the need for some of the other weekly meetings! 📌 Comment “Review” and I’ll send you my complete guide so you can start saving time too!

How I Lead Effective Meetings as a Program Manager at Amazon. Meetings can either be a powerful tool for decision-making or a frustrating time sink. Early in my career, I struggled with unstructured meetings—great discussions but no clear outcomes. One chaotic project, where we held frequent but ineffective syncs, taught me that meetings aren’t just for talking; they should drive action. Here’s how I lead meetings now: 1️⃣ Set a Clear Agenda (and Share It in Advance) Every meeting starts with a structured agenda that includes: ✔️ Objective: What we need to achieve ✔️ Discussion topics: Prioritized for focus ✔️ Attendees: Only those necessary 📌 If an agenda isn’t clear, I challenge whether the meeting is even needed. 2️⃣ Keep Meetings Decision-Oriented Before starting, I clarify: ✔️ What decisions need to be made? ✔️ Who is responsible for next steps? If discussions drift, I refocus: “This is important but let’s table it for a separate deep dive.” This keeps meetings productive instead of open-ended. 3️⃣ Ensure Follow-Through with Clear Recaps A great meeting means nothing if action items aren’t tracked. After the meeting, I send a quick recap with: ✔️ Decisions made ✔️ Action items + owners ✔️ Next steps 📌 I also log action items in a shared tracker to ensure accountability. Bonus: Reduce Unnecessary Meetings Before scheduling, I ask: Can this be solved via Slack, email, or a written update? At Amazon, concise narratives often replace meetings—allowing for more deep work. Final Thoughts A well-run meeting aligns teams, drives decisions, and prevents wasted time. The best compliment I get? “That was one of the most productive meetings I’ve been in.” How do you keep your meetings effective? #Meetings #Productivity #Leadership #ProgramManagement #Amazon

What’s a great team meeting? Team meetings are a significant investment of time, and making them truly valuable is essential. After years of leading small and large teams, I’ve found that every team should have a few objectives. My framework is called TOP 😎 1. Transparency: Every leader should try to provide full context on cross-functional projects esp those that impact them. 2. Order: Team members should leave the meeting with a clear understanding of what they should be working short and long term. 3. Progress: Meetings should be a catalyst for forward momentum. Each should result in clear next steps that move the team towards its goals. My own team meetings often involve 10+ hours of collective time, so I focus on maximizing efficiency and impact. We start by sourcing discussion topics from the entire team—ensuring everyone feels heard and involved in shaping the agenda. I structure the meetings into three core parts: - Newsflash: This is where I provide organizational context—highlighting wins, team recognitions, key updates, big deals won or lost, and any major changes in leadership or product direction. - Core discussion: The team discusses pre-submitted topics with a clear focus. The goal is to unblock each other. Each topic has context, the owner knows what to do next, and they can ask for help if needed. - Action items: Every discussion ends with actionable next steps, assigning an owner, a specific action, and a due date. If there’s no action required, we close the topic. I avoid adding unnecessary elements like guest speakers or deep dives—they’re valuable as one-offs but not as regular agenda items. And I make sure to avoid lengthy debates. If something requires deeper analysis, we take it offline and revisit later. Finally, I make every attempt to start and end without the allocated 45 minutes. If you are stuck or feel you don’t have enough things to talk about, ask your team. #Leadership

After chatting with 100+ execs over the past 6 months, everyone told me the same thing: they want to stop wasting valuable time in useless meetings. The best resource I’ve found on effective meetings is Matt Mochary (exec coach trusted by co’s like OpenAI and Coinbase). Here’s what he recommends: 1. Assign a meeting owner - Someone who manages logistics and agenda - Ensures structured, efficient use of time 2. Define the desired outcome - Set a clear, measurable goal - Share it in writing with all participants 3. Leverage async preparation - Share updates + documentation in advance - Require pre-writes for discussion topics 4. Enforce async work - Demonstrate prep work as a group first - Gradually transition to independent async work 5. Timebox the synchronous agenda - Nurture personal connections (5 mins) - Elaborate on issues (5-20 mins per topic) - Provide real-time feedback (5-10 mins) 6. Drive towards action - Break down solutions into specific tasks - Assign owners and tangible due dates 7. Track every action - Use a PM tool or spreadsheet - Foster accountability and alignment 8. Collect written feedback - Request input after every meeting - Use feedback to continually improve Important note: implementing these changes takes time. Be patient and adjust if you need to – and ensure that your team is 100% on the same page. The result? More productive meetings and more efficient teams. Check out Seam's full playbook on effective meetings below ⚡  https://lnkd.in/gR2bXwRJ

Why some meetings can cost you more than just time. Here’s how to change that. A few months ago, I sat through a three-hour meeting that cost our company $15,000 in collective team time. And we accomplished absolutely nothing. Picture this: 9 senior consultants, with salaries ranging from $200-$350/hour. We were in a meeting with: → No clear agenda → No clear objectives → Endless circular discussions → Zero action items That day I realized why some meetings are viewed negatively. They’re disorganized and a waste of time. But my approach to meetings is different. Here's how I run meetings with my 7-step method: 1/ Have a Clear Purpose → Every meeting needs a reason. If there’s no goal, don’t have the meeting. 2/ Keep the Guest List Small → Invite only people who really need to be there. 3/ Create a Simple Agenda → Write down what you want to achieve. Make it clear and actionable. 4/ Respect Everyone’s Time → Schedule a time that works for everyone. Send the agenda in advance. 5/ Run the Meeting Smoothly → Start with introductions and clarify why everyone is there. → Go over the agenda. → Set clear expectations. → Listen, discuss, and take notes. → Assign action items with due dates. 6/ Wrap It Up on Time → Start wrapping up 10 minutes before the end. → Summarize key points and assign action items. → Finish on time. 7/ Follow Up → Send a summary email the same day. → Include what was discussed, action items, due dates, and open questions. → Follow up on progress. By following these steps, our meetings became: • Productive • Focused • Respectful of everyone’s time PS: Have you ever been in a meeting that felt like a waste of time? How did you fix it? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 👋Hi, I’m Tapan Borah I coach and mentor Project Managers to build a successful career in project management. If you’re unsure where to start. DM me or book a free consultation → Link is in the bio.