How to reduce meetings in your organisation
Meetings can be a valuable tool for collaboration and communication in an organisation, but they can also be a major source of frustration and time-wasting
Too many meetings can lead to decreased productivity, increased stress, and a negative impact on employee morale.
Meetings can be a valuable tool for collaboration and communication in an organisation, but they can also be a major source of frustration and time-wasting
Too many meetings can lead to decreased productivity, increased stress, and a negative impact on employee morale. In this article, we'll explore some strategies for reducing the number of meetings in your organisation, without sacrificing the benefits of collaboration and communication.
1. Assess the need for each meeting: The first step in reducing the number of meetings in your organisation is to assess the need for each one. Are all of the meetings on your calendar necessary?
Are there any that could be eliminated or consolidated? By carefully evaluating each meeting, you can identify areas where you can reduce the number of meetings without compromising productivity.
2. Limit meeting attendance: Another way to reduce the number of meetings in your organisation is to limit attendance. Only invite people who are essential to the meeting's purpose, and avoid inviting those who don't need to be there. By limiting attendance, you can reduce the number of meetings and minimize interruptions to people's work.
3. Shorten meeting duration: Meetings can often go on for too long, which can lead to decreased productivity and employee frustration. By shortening the duration of meetings, you can reduce the time people spend in meetings and free up more time for other work. Consider setting a time limit for each meeting and stick to it.
4. Encourage alternative forms of communication: Meetings are not the only way to communicate and collaborate. Encourage your employees to use alternative forms of communication, such as email, instant messaging, or project management software. These tools can be just as effective as meetings and can help to reduce the number of meetings needed.
5. Schedule "meeting-free" time: To help employees focus on their work, consider scheduling "meeting-free" time blocks throughout the day or week. During these blocks, no meetings are allowed, and employees can focus on their individual tasks without interruptions. This can be an effective way to increase productivity and reduce the need for meetings.
To sum up, meetings serve as a crucial aspect of fostering collaboration and communication within an organisation. However, they can also become a significant cause of frustration and unproductive use of time.
By assessing the need for each meeting, limiting attendance, shortening meeting duration, encouraging alternative forms of communication, and scheduling "meeting-free" time, you can reduce the number of meetings in your organisation and increase productivity.
Remember, productivity is not about how many meetings you have, but rather about how effectively you use your time and energy to achieve your goals.work done, even when you feel too busy.
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Am I too busy to get any work done?
As the pace of life continues to accelerate, it's becoming increasingly common to feel like we're too busy to get any work done.
Whether it's due to a never-ending to-do list, constant interruptions, or the pressure to multitask, it can be difficult to find the time and focus to be productive.
As the pace of life continues to accelerate, it's becoming increasingly common to feel like we're too busy to get any work done.
Whether it's due to a never-ending to-do list, constant interruptions, or the pressure to multitask, it can be difficult to find the time and focus to be productive.
In this article, we'll explore some strategies for managing your time and energy so that you can get more work done, even when you feel too busy.
1. Prioritise your tasks: One of the most effective ways to manage your workload is to prioritise your tasks. Start by identifying the most important tasks that require your attention and focus on completing them first. This will help you make progress on the most critical work and reduce the feeling of overwhelm.
2. Create a schedule: A schedule can be a powerful tool for managing your time and staying focused. Block out time in your calendar for specific tasks or projects and stick to your schedule as much as possible.
This will help you establish a routine and create a sense of structure, which can help you feel more in control of your workload.
3. Minimise distractions: Distractions are one of the biggest challenges to getting work done when you're feeling busy. Identify the things that distract you the most, such as social media, email notifications, or colleagues, and take steps to minimise them.
For example, you could turn off notifications, use noise-cancelling headphones, or find a quiet place to work.
4. Take breaks: Taking regular breaks can help you recharge your energy and stay focused. Consider taking a short walk, practicing meditation or yoga, or simply stepping away from your desk for a few minutes. This can help you return to your work with renewed focus and energy.
5. Learn to say no: One of the most challenging aspects of feeling busy is the pressure to take on more work or obligations. However, learning to say no can be a powerful tool for managing your workload and protecting your time.
Be selective about the commitments you make and focus on the things that are most important to you.
In conclusion, executing successfully requires a combination of clear goals, effective communication, a strong team, a solid execution plan, and progress measurement and analysis.
By following these top 5 tips, companies can improve their execution and achieve their goals more effectively.
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Return on investment
Return on investment is an overused phrase but an underused concept in business. What return are you going to make for that investment? What is the payback period and how confident are you on the return? Say a company can only afford to spend $20 million on investment each year how does it decide what to invest in?
Return on investment is an overused phrase but an underused concept in business.
What return are you going to make for that investment? What is the payback period and how confident are you on the return?
Say a company can only afford to spend $20 million on investment each year how does it decide what to invest in?
Key criteria
• Is the investment aligned to strategy?
• What are the benefits of the investment?
• What is the payback period for the investment?
• What metrics will the investment improve?
• Are there ongoing financial benefits of the investment?
I am a big believer in working out where your investment will give you the biggest return. If measured correctly, more money can be invested if there is a clear ratio of investment versus return on investment.
Making good investment decisions will be critical to the success of any organisation especially during the current environment so take the time to consider:
• How much money you can invest?
• What's your criteria for investment?
• How are you going to track benefits?
• How and who will you hold to account?
Somehow when people get project money, they forget it's cash out the door - it’s real money, it's costing the company. While there are financial reporting, tax and other benefits of consideration when investing, don't forget you are outlaying cash. Spend what you need to deliver the outcome / return on investment.
Post Covid-19, companies need to be very focused on where they spend their money and payback period. If the pay period is longer than 3 years, leaders will need to consider if it's a good investment.
How do you think about return on investment in your company? Does it need a review? Is your payback period more than 3 years? Maybe you need to reconsider.
“The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.”
Do you need to assess the ROI in your business and make some changes? Let us help.
Whiteark is not your average consulting firm, we have first-hand experience in delivering transformation programs for private equity and other organisations with a focus on people just as much as financial outcomes.
We understand that execution is the hardest part, and so we roll our sleeves up and work with you to ensure we can deliver the required outcomes for the business. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Obsessed about business optimisation
Optimisation is an overused word that can mean a lot of things, so let me explain... can a business perform better than they currently are? Can they improve customer experience, their pricing strategy and financial outcomes to drive a better return? In most cases the answer is yes!
Optimisation is an overused word that can mean a lot of things, so let me explain... can a business perform better than they currently are? Can they improve customer experience, their pricing strategy and financial outcomes to drive a better return? In most cases the answer is yes!
I'm that person at the cafe that worries about how the owners are affording to pay all their staff (overstaffed), that nail place that isn't charging enough to make ends meet, the tradie that doesn't make me pay when the service is done but a month later, the discounts in the department stores, the amount of stock on the shelves and the cashflow management of companies.
The COVID period has shown us that companies need to be:
More efficient
More commercial
Focus in on cashflow more
Get the pricing right
Focus in on customer experience
Small, medium and large businesses all have areas that they can improve. Research shows that business optimisation can improve the financial performance of your company by 21%+.
Business owners and leaders need to focus on business optimisation. What are the 4-5 things that will move the dial for your business?
Cashflow optimisation - maximising your working capital through tactical and strategic levers. Are you putting enough focus on this?
Pricing rationalisation - are you charging enough for your product and service and how you do compare to your competitors?
Strategic sourcing - are you strategic around how you manage your vendors to drive cost improvements and working capital outcomes?
Process optimisation - improve process efficiency and effectiveness by reducing complexity in the process.
Property management - lease costs cost approximately $10-12k per person per year. With the new ways of working and companies adapting to remote working, review your lease arrangements and assess whether your company really needs all that space. Can you sublet the space or hand it back to the landlord? Many companies are considering other options in relation to rental space. Are you?
One way to really reset the cost base of a business is the zero-based budget. Read our recent Whiteark article that explains why, how, and when you should use this technique. With a focus on what money is spent on and the return on investment including dollars and time to recover cost outlays, you can significantly change your cost base.
“If I had one hour to save the world, I would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes finding the solution.”
Do you need to create a business optimisation plan? Let us help.
At Whiteark we have professionals that have practical, hands on experience on how to optimise business. Understanding every business is different and there is no one size fits all but we would be very happy to have a no obligation conversation around your business optimisation plan. Our co-founders have a combined experience of over 50 years’ working as Executives in organisations delivering outcomes for shareholders. Reach out for a no obligation conversation on how we can help you. Contact us on whiteark@whiteark.com.au
Measuring success is an essential part of any business or organisation. Without proper measurement, it can be challenging to determine whether your efforts are having the desired impact and whether you are moving towards achieving your goals.