Rules of Engagement and Mission Streamline Every Meeting in Business and at Work

A nonprofit organization near and dear to my heart conducted their annual meeting this week. The President of the Board of Trustees kicked off the meeting with the organization’s Rule of Engagement for every meeting:

“I’d like to remind everyone of our promise to communicate to each other with mutual respect, as well as our promise to each other to be open to all opinions,” the President reminded the group. He then reiterated the organization’s mission to the annual meeting attendees.

The President proceeded with the agenda that included asking the members to affirm the organization’s annual budget (which had been sent to members at least one week before the meeting to review). The agenda was completed and the budget was affirmed in 45 minutes – an hour had been allotted for the meeting, which meant we all gained 15 minutes of calendar white space back.

How do you use your organization’s mission and rules of engagement to make meetings efficient and productive in business and at work?