Preston Ferguson’s Post

Are you trying to juggle tight deadlines, high expectations, and multiple projects? Join our upcoming webinar on Oct. 29, to learn how timeline view can keep your team on track: https://ow.ly/JsU430sHxwQ

Meeting minutes are the written record of what transpired during a meeting. They are an official document, a blueprint for action, and a guidepost for future endeavors. This article delves deep into the art and science of taking minutes during board meetings, with a focus on best practices, techniques, and the importance of accuracy and clarity. https://lnkd.in/gTe2iT3n

Hot Take: Any* meeting should take 15 minutes (or less). Prep the attendees with materials and talking points pre-meeting Have clearly defined goals and exit criteria Do not entertain side-quests Gain consensus quickly Move on That's it. That's all you need to do. Just ask Rob Snyder how it worked for us. *1:1s should be at least 45 minutes. 15 for you, 15 for them, 15 for free form.

At Missive, we're not fans of meetings. However, we’ve just started doing all-hands, every ~month, to keep in sync. The idea is, prior to each, I send a written memo about our vision, challenges, strategies, and roadmap – a snapshot of our current status. After writing the first one, I decided why not share them publicly. Without further ado, my second memo May 2024 👉 https://lnkd.in/eRRm4qac

Just cancel the meeting. Yes, you can! Instead of 🏃♀️ rushing to get that slide deck done 🧠 cramming hours of research into a late afternoon to lead that 9AM brainstorm meeting 💬 or calculating all possible scenarios and documenting contingency plans D, E, and F just so you stick to the deadline you created for yourself in the first place, try this: Think about what would happen if you took the time to thoroughly prepare for leading the meeting? Let me know what comes to mind in the comments!

Take a look at this Planning Meeting Checklist - it has everything you need to help you prepare, including what you should bring to your planning meeting.✨

Create engaging and #productive meetings with annotated agendas. This free sample can act as a framework to make the most of everyone’s time. https://ow.ly/SSFf50QoAii

Could that meeting really have been an email? 🤔 The Harvard Business Review has you covered. Follow these steps to make the most of your time and determine when to host your next meeting. 📸: https://lnkd.in/gk7EV7qZ

Board meetings are always stressful and somehow have a way of sneaking up on you. We all feel the pressure, and should be given their importance, but you can prevent the panic leading up to them by preparing in between meetings. Here are the steps I’ve taken, plus some advice pulled from other Finance & Ops leaders in tech. Nothing should be a surprise -> review your metrics early and often Know how you’re pacing -> compare those metrics to your plan/forecast build Flag outliers to your team -> find where you’re underperforming and take action quickly Get ahead of bad news -> when you miss targets, let people know ahead of time. Don’t share them for the first time in the meeting. Less is more -> don’t waste time tracking vanity metrics. It’s a waste of time for your team and can cause your board to get sidetracked Full post here: https://lnkd.in/gwCpi_A8

Ever lost a great idea in a meeting? Writing things down doesn’t just capture decisions—it clarifies thinking and creates a reference for the future. When teams build a habit of documenting ideas, decisions, and solutions, they create a library of knowledge that fuels progress. It’s a practice that helps every team member—present and future—stay aligned. What’s one thing you can document today that will help your team tomorrow? Get insights like these in my weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eF9MvnWx