If, like most companies you’re at the half-way point in the year, you’ll be checking your progress against your business plan.

This month I have been focused on how to have effective quarterly review meetings in both this blog and my email messages because these up-and-coming quarterly review meetings will be particularly important. This is your last real opportunity to adapt your strategy plan and make any significant course corrections.

As you prepare for your quarterly review meetings I’d like to make a suggestion. I’d like you to think about how to make this and future quarterly reviews as mutually benficial as possible.

This aim might sound a little obvious but from my past experience, and in speaking with others, the vast majority of meetings tend to benefit the reviewer rather than the reviewee. (Just to be clear, the ‘reviewer’ is the one seeking the data such as a the silicon vendor and the ‘reviewee’ the one collating and presenting it, such as a distributor.)

As the reviewer who gains more from the meetings, speak to the other party prior to the meeting and outline why you need the information. Explain that it isn’t just a data mining exercise and outline how the findings from the meetings will also benfit the reviewee.

For example, explain that if a particular product isn’t selling well, then with the reviewee’s feedback as to the the challenges they’re experiencing, the reviewer’s company will discuss the problems and either improve the product, or the sales training or marketing messages or whatever else is needed, to help the reviewee meet future targets.

As the reviewee, if there are topics you wish to raise then explain why and get them on the agenda prior to the meeting.

Great leaders negotiate for mutually beneficial results and both sides need to be responsible for ensuring that these meetings achieve just that.

Enter the meeting knowing why you’re all there and the mutual gains to be had. Work as valued partners on the same level and adopt the attitude that these are vital meetings that are worth every minute spent on them and which will help keep both companies on course.

What do you think will help quarterly reviews be the productive, mutually beneficial meetings they should be?

Are your quarterly review meetings the strategic boost they should be or do you and your people simply leave the room and go on with business from where it was left off?

You may have agreed some actions to catch-up on missed targets or to resolve some problems raised, but was the meeting and outcome worth the time and effort it took to prepare and attend?

Add up the number of people involved in your quarterly review meetings, the time taken to prepare for and have the meetings. You’re potentially looking at man-weeks of time and effort.

Even if you do everything you can to make the meetings effective in both their preparation and execution you still may not receive the information you need to make the necessary corrections to keep your business on course.

This is because, peoples’ emotions and office politics can get in the way. People don’t always want to say what’s on their mind for fear of the consequences. If the meetings appear to go too well, with no challenging questions being asked, then this may well be the reason. Peoples’ careers are of course vitally important to them and not raising a problem because they don’t wish to rock the boat is both common and understandable.

If you don’t get the answers you need, regardless of how tough they are to hear, then you may miss a vital issue that could grow into something that has a big impact on your business if not addressed. This is where bringing an external facilitator into these meetings can make all the difference.

An objective outsider, who knows your industry, can quickly come up to speed on your strategic priorities and goals, speak with a selection of people in your company and ask the hard questions, or raise the issues in the meetings that others don’t want to. Because of their objectivity and experience, they may also ask questions that no-one else thinks of.

Issues and ideas need to be raised and discussed. Review meetings need to be a boost to the company and the people who spend so many hours of the lives working in it. The return for having these meetings needs to be worth the time and effort invested. You cannot afford them to be damp squibs.

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