At one of my companies, PolyClean, we have a daily meeting at 7:37 each morning.  It is a conference call because all of our folks are working around the country.  This meeting happens everyday (including Saturdays and Sundays).

The agenda for the meeting is very straightforward and consists of three items.  What's up?  The Numbers.  Are You Stuck?  We get through with the meeting in less than 15 minutes.  As a result of the meeting, everyone is on the same page and any issues are dealt with quickly.

What's Up?  - This is where our folks report on any issues that have happened in the last 24 hours (we run 24/7/365) and what their plans are for the next 24. 

Numbers - These are reported production numbers that are important to our business.  The only numbers we report here are the numbers we use to get paid by.  In this case, it is pounds run.

Are You Stuck? -  This is where our folks can report any frustrations they are having a tough time solving on their own.  Could be a nagging maintenance issue, or it could be an issue with the client starving us of material because of an issue at their plant.  All issues are dealt with as quickly as possible.

We do this meeting on a conference call system that is really cheap.  We record each meeting and have our office folks transcribe it and email the report out later in the morning.  Any actionable items are highlighted and taken care of that day if possible.

Every business has a rhythm.  Our business rhythm allows us to have a meeting once per day.  Perhaps your business will need more meetings or less.  But make them scheduled for the same time all the time, make them mandatory, and keep them short and sweet with a 3 item agenda or less.  We look forward to our daily meeting because it is informative and quick.

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