There are three times every year when many colleagues are not available: Late July and early August Winter holidays: The week before Thanksgiving, the weeks before and after Christmas and the week after New Years The weeks before and after Easter If you’re working during these times, you’ve noticed that, without all the meetings and interruptions, you get a lot of work done. But on the other hand, it’s frustrating when the people you collaborate with daily are not available.

A half hour meeting that accomplishes exactly what you need is feasible. But it requires smart (not time-consuming) planning; discipline during the meeting; and a laser focus on achieving results (getting what you need in 30 minutes). The information that follows applies to in-person meetings of 10 people or less, most of it applies to virtual meetings as well (but not to extraordinary meetings called for extraordinary purposes). Plan ahead A good reason to call a meeting is

Paul Leinwand and Cesare Mainardi wrote the seminal work on creating coherence in an organization; a book called, The Essential Advantage. Although I don’t follow and/or agree with everything, it is an excellent book. And actually the premise---breaking away from the pack by focusing on your core capabilities---is very similar to a perennial business best seller---W. Chan Kim’s and Renee Mauborgne’s Blue Ocean Strategy. Too often, organizations look first at what their curre