The purpose of a board meeting is to track results, reconnect the team, and to prepare them for the next ninety days. Not everyone has board meetings, of course, but most of us understand the importance of meeting with our biggest investors, clients or colleagues on a regular basis.
The secret sauce of the best professional meetings is to make them a consistent, focused, in-person discussion. I’ve personally experienced the power of this. By staying engaged with our top investors, I've raised millions of dollars for our real estate company. The consistency of these meetings deepens the trust I have with my investors, many of whom have become genuine friends. This experience has taught me that in business, nothing can replace face-to-face meetings. The price of the occasional airline ticket to discuss an issue with someone is worth it, as being in direct contact is far more effective than a Skype or conference call will ever be.
HOW THE BOARD MEETINGS STRATEGY WORKS
For Family Board Meetings, we take the best parts of effective, consistent, focused, face-to-face meetings and use them to connect with your children. It’s a proven way to maximize quality time, and it's the whole point of the Board Meetings strategy. We must treat our kids with the same level of respect that we do our work colleagues and business associates.
The process is as simple as it is powerful. Here's how it works: once a quarter, you will have a Board Meeting with your child. It must be a minimum of four uninterrupted hours. After that, there are only three steps to success during your time together.
You must:
The result of this mix of elements is a perfect combo— just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And just like the sandwich, you'll only see partial results if you only use part of the formula.
If there’s one thing almost all of us have experienced, however, it’s a bad meeting. How many times have you sat in a room and thought, This is pointless—why am I even here? Meetings have a bad rap, and for good reason. Many of them are pointless.
These meetings are different. They’re different be- cause the objective is clear—a deeper connection with your children through quality time—and the process itself is built on very specific principles that ensure that the meeting does what it’s supposed to do.
Imagine that.
But, don't just blindly take my word for it. I want you to understand why the strategy works. Studies show that when we understand why something works, we're far more likely to integrate the practice into our lives.