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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WAR


Running a business is like engaging in a war. As a business owner or executive, you are a General who is commanding his troops. There are many tactical moves which make up the battles, and many individual battles that make up the overall strategy of the war. 


This is how the war is won, by many small victories over small battles. 


WHY WEEKLY MEETINGS


Somehow in business we tend to have only one huge strategic planning meeting every few months, or even just one a year. How are you supposed to win a war like this? A war needs constant adjustments to be won and this constant adjustment needs to be faster than that of your ?enemy?. 


This is the WHY for weekly meetings. Because organisations move fast. 


Looking into this topic further some interesting findings have come up. At companies with more than 250 people, nearly 40% of meetings start late. (slack.com). This wastes actual "paid for production hours" which is easy to fix. Another survey found that 42% of employees actually want information shared more regularly. (knowyourteam.com). 


With one annual strategic meeting the founder or the person in-charge, presents the strategic plan for the year. This strategic plan is then broken down into battles and these battles are broken down into individual tactical plans and tasks. Then the in-charge orders his executives and staff to deliver this strategic plan. 


Having meetings only once a year is simply too slow. 


The strategic war is thus won by winning small battles. And so it is that having weekly meetings where you set and coordinate, your battle plans will vastly increase the speed of your organisation. 


WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE AND PURPOSE OF WEEKLY MEETINGS


Having weekly meetings increases your company?s speed, ok great. But there are more benefits to be had. 


It is these weekly meetings where the in-charge plans the war to be fought. 


These meetings should improve the staff?s understanding of their posts and of the organisation, and how their personal production forwards the overall strategy. These meetings are training sessions as much as they are planning sessions.


Few meetings are run correctly and even fewer meetings actually accomplish the purpose of the meeting. A weekly meeting is not a meeting where the in charge lectures the staff. A weekly meeting should create agreement and keep the staff informed, and so it should further the strategic plan of the organisation by setting weekly targets. 


This weekly meeting should create a list of targets and then manage this list the coming week and present the organisation?s stats for the week. Organisations are supposed to be managed by statistics where one is able to see the trends. 


It is chaired by the founder or by the person in charge. Attendance is mandatory for all staff including expeditors. 


The way to measure your strategy for success, is via stats. Give handlings as per the trend of your stats indicate you should.


WHEN SHOULD WEEKLY MEETINGS BE HELD


Weekly meetings should be held on Thursdays. 


This way your team can get started on Friday to implement their plans for the week. And by Monday they are already ahead of the week. Fridays are otherwise usually a wasted day as staff really have no clear purpose other than ?getting ready for the weekend?. 


Meetings should be no more than two hours. Any more time spent and they are no longer a weekly meeting. One hour is ideal and is achievable if one prepares well for this meeting. 


The person in charge should be well prepared and do a presentation. Questions and answers should be handled afterwards and should not disrupt the presenter. 


WHERE ARE WEEKLY MEETINGS HELD


In a physical battle room. 


In this battle room you display your organisational structure, your strategic plans, your stats and the handling for each stat. 


It?s here where you meet with your toops and where you plan to win the war. 


THE ORDER OF BUSINESS IN A WEEKLY MEETING


The general order of business for a weekly meeting is:


  1. Take up any problems and errors from the previous week with their handling.
  2. General business announcements.
  3. Presentation of stats and trends by individual staff members and a handling assigned to each statistic for the coming week. Stats must be based on actual production leading toward a valuable final product of the company that is sellable. In a large organisation where it is not possible for each individual to present their stats, the divisional in charge would represent the group with the stats under his control. It is he who must determine which stats and plans are to be presented. Minimally, even in a very large organisation it would include every division and the executives above the divisions.
  4. Summary of the handlings assigned to the whole organisation by the in charge for the week.
  5. Bonuses for the week are announced.
  6. Combined battle plan forwarding the strategic plan for the organsion.


Training will happen in your weekly meetings as you implement your strategy and tactics.


INDIVIDUAL STAFF MEMBER RESPONSIBILITY IN THE WEEKLY MEETING


Each individual member of the organisation, is responsible for the following points whether or not he presented his stats and plans for the week:


  1. Having his CORRECT stat which reflects production factually.
  2. The stats in his area of RESPONSIBILITY.
  3. GRAPHING his stats on time for the weekly meeting.
  4. Having A COPY of his weekly stats.
  5. Having a BATTLE PLAN for each stat for the coming week.
  6. Full KNOWLEDGE of reading stats, date coincidence, stats interpretation and trend.


?The purpose of the staff meeting is to develop a team spirit of mutual cooperation and coordination. It links bonuses to production and gives the group by that, control over their own income? - by L. Ron Hubbard.



IN SUMMARY


Weekly meetings are the blood and sweat of an organisation. They are the actions by which the organisation is able to achieve its goals and purposes. 


It is here where the tactical plan for the battles are coordinated, which then wins the war.


So, I urge you to implement this weekly meeting strategy and watch how your company?s speed, morale, and income starts to increase!


P.S. This article is based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard and the Hubbard College. There are many more practical points involved in building an organisation that is impervious to the march of time. For this reason I suggest you contact us for a consultation so you can find out how we can assist you in expanding and debugging your organisation.