When I think of team synchronisation, I imagine a dragon boat race. It’s a long boat with paddlers lined on each side and a drummer at the front to set the pace for the team. For some, it would seem like paddling in the same direction is enough to make a dragon boat cross the finish line.

But in truth, it’s not just the direction that matters. The paddlers must be in sync as they paddle and the drummer is responsible for making this happen. Not only that, although the paddlers are given the same paddle, they have varying strengths and physical capabilities. They must train to exert the same strength to make the boat slice through the water to get to the finish line first.

In business, the drummer is the leader and the paddlers are the team members. You can’t get your team to cross the finish line unless you train them to paddle according to the needs of the business.

In this article, I want to focus on helping you master team synchronisation. You’ll learn about the crucial first step to achieving alignment and the important role of team meetings to help sync your team in reaching better business outcomes.

The First Step: Setting Goals and Expectations

Going back to the dragon boat analogy - winning a race is not just about who paddles the fastest. The key is to make everyone paddle consistently and with the same strength as the others.

How will you do that? You need to start by setting the right goals and expectations. These will help your team determine how much effort they need to put into every task given to them. They will understand the importance of their role and the objectives they need to focus on. At the same time, it will also define the standards they have to meet to provide the deliverables expected of them.

To do this, you have to first define your SMART goals. These are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals. This will provide your team with a clear direction to move forward.

Second, you have to communicate your expectations for each member of the team. Make a list of their responsibilities, deadlines and the quality of work that’s expected of them.

Third, make sure the goals and expectations are aligned with the vision of the company. This eliminates confusion and puts everyone on the team on the same page. This ensures alignment even if each team member works on a different task.

Finally, the leader has to set aside time to review and adjust the goals and expectations as the project progresses and as the business grows. Remember, the needs of the business will change over time. Make sure the goals and expectations that you’ve set are still relevant so as not to waste the time and effort of your team.

Now that you understand what it takes to set the right goals and expectations, what is the best way to implement all these?

The best way to achieve all four is simple: you need to conduct regular team meetings.

Why are Team Meetings Important?

One of the important roles of a leader is to get the team synchronised. It sounds simple until you realise that people come from all walks of life. Although you choose people with skills that are compatible with the rest of the team, you still have to deal with their different personalities and individual characteristics.

That makes it harder to get them aligned and synchronised.

Fortunately, there’s a way to align your team despite having different backgrounds. They’re called team meetings. It’s not just a one-time meeting. What I’m referring to is the regular team meetings that you’ll conduct for your team.

There are three reasons why team meetings are vital in every business.

Fosters open communication

Regular meetings provide a platform for everyone to communicate. It allows team members to share updates and as the leader, you get to touch base with them as well. You can identify who is struggling and who needs commendation for a job well done.

When communicating at team meetings, try to be encouraging with everyone. Develop a culture wherein challenges are openly discussed. This is not to belittle anyone but to give the team a chance to support each other. People should be encouraged to air out difficulties without judgement.

By openly communicating both positive and negative topics, the team can prevent misunderstandings and everyone is informed of ongoing projects and changes.

Builds team cohesion

When the team supports each other, it builds team cohesion. It strengthens the sense of community and belongingness. Meetings provide an opportunity for the team to connect and build relationships. It allows them to discuss their ideas openly and to benefit from a brainstorm of varying perspectives.

The support that comes from these meetings will overflow even after the meeting is done. When done correctly, it enhances the team morale and boosts productivity. Although competition cannot be eliminated, these meetings will build relationships where everyone is focused on being the better versions of themselves without pulling anyone down.

Advances accountability

Team meetings are also important for accountability purposes. When someone is forced to report the progress of their tasks, they feel the need to commit to improvements. It’s natural for people to compare their work with others - and this makes them want to put their best foot forward. They would want to show the value of their work and this will benefit the business growth significantly.

By regularly reviewing progress, there’s a chance to address issues that may be holding back some tasks. This type of accountability will ensure that your team is working with integrity and will deliver impressive outcomes to contribute to the team’s effort.

Tips to Conduct Effective Team Alignment Meetings

To ensure that team meetings lead to synchronisation, it has to be planned and executed well. You don’t just gather everyone and let them talk. It has to be structured to achieve business success.

Here are tips to help you conduct effective team alignment meetings.

Set a regular schedule

Team meetings shouldn’t happen on a whim. Unless it involves emergencies that require urgent meetings, try to set a regular schedule for all your meetings.

Depending on the needs of the business, you can conduct daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual meetings. This will establish a routine that the team will come to expect and be prepared for. Even if you don’t tell them. They’ll push themselves so their tasks will progress in time for the meetings.

This is also necessary so your team will know to free their time around these scheduled meetings.

Have an agenda

Every meeting should have an agenda.

Annual meetings are the most important ones and are usually held for a day or two. The meeting can focus on annual business targets that the management team will work on for the whole year. These goals can include bigger targets that are achievable in the next few years. Ideally, you want these meetings to happen off-site and with a professional - like a business coach.

Quarterly meetings are meant to support annual goals. It’s meant to check the progress of each target discussed during the annual meeting. This can be attended by the management team and their respective members. It’s okay to make these last for 2 hours so everyone can be updated on each team’s progress.

Monthly meetings are for strategic projects that have a huge impact on the business. This can involve the management team only - or at least key persons in the business. This can last for an hour and it should be spent reviewing and learning new ideas to complete strategic tasks.

Daily and weekly meetings are usually for updates, issues and progress reports. Daily meetings should only run for 10 to 15 minutes. Weekly meetings can last an hour. The weekly meetings can be done by the leaders while the daily ones are with their respective teams.

Before every meeting, try to send the agenda to the participants so they can prepare accordingly.

Create inclusivity

Inclusive meetings are those that make the team feel comfortable with sharing what’s on their minds. This encourages all participants to share their thoughts and ideas. Ensure that all voices are heard by asking questions. Let others share their opinions about the report of others.

Get everyone used to the idea of sharing so they’ll feel accountable for their respective tasks. Listen attentively and coach them to be better at communicating the struggles they’re dealing with.

Stick to the topic

Since all meetings should have an agenda, make sure you stick to it. Don’t let the conversation stray from what you’ve planned to discuss. If not you, have someone preside over the meeting so they can keep everyone on the intended topic. In case another issue needs attention, set a different meeting for this.

This will ensure a productive meeting with concrete resolutions to any issues holding back the team.

Respect the schedule

Just as you have to be strict with the topic, you also have to be strict with the schedule. If the meeting runs for only 15 minutes, end it on time. This also means the meeting should start on time.

This will show that you respect the time of everyone. It cultivates a culture of discipline where people will get used to meeting deadlines and due dates - as a sign of respect for the time of others.

Focus on action items and follow-ups

This is ideal for daily or weekly meetings. Since the time is limited, focus on what matters - like action items and following up on existing projects. Action items should be clearly defined and assigned accordingly so people will know what their responsibilities are. Set a time to follow up on the progress of these tasks in future meetings to ensure accountability.

Use technology

There are collaboration tools that sync the calendar of your team with yours and each other. Not only that, there are tools that you can use to facilitate remote meetings. These are equipped with features to allow recordings and document sharing. This can streamline communication despite having the team in different locations.

Document every meeting

Assign someone to document every meeting so everyone can use it as a reference. It should have the summary and key points of what was discussed - especially decisions that were made during the meeting. This should be distributed to the team so everyone is clear on the next steps and the expected outcomes.

Get feedback and improve

Take time to get feedback from your team - specifically on how team meetings are held. Ask for ideas that can improve the flow of the meeting so it leads to higher productivity and better business outcomes. Keep enhancing these alignment meetings so you can stay connected with the rest of the team.

Synchronise your Team to Achieve Business Success

Achieving team synchronisation is essential to getting better business outcomes. Like dragon boats, all the paddlers in your team should work together if you want to get to the finish line fast. It’s not just about paddling. It’s about getting everyone to paddle in the same direction and at the same time.

To achieve this sync, you need to set clear goals and expectations. Conduct effective team meetings to create an environment of collaboration where the team operates smoothly and efficiently.

The more synchronised the team is, the more they’ll be productive, motivated and aligned with the vision of the company.

If you need to help to synchronise your team and improve their performance, consider partnering with a business coach. A coach can provide strategic insights from an outsider’s perspective that can help you build a high-performing team.

If you’d like to know more about this, let’s talk. Book a complimentary 15-minute call here: https://www.butleradvisory.com.au/time-with-trent.