People spend a lot of time in meetings. And, they are often the first thing my clients complain about. That’s a red flag for me. You cannot have a great team if you have poor meetings.

Good meetings are a sign of a successful team.

Leaders must commit to the transformation of their teams and good meetings are a place to start.

These are the 5 steps that I use to help teams move from good to great:

1. Use a diagnostic tool to gather data.

Before we can change how team members interact and function, we need to get a picture of how they are currently operating. This tool looks at the key elements of successful teams. Individuals look at the degree to which statements reflect the team’s behavior. Statements are around themes like conflict, silos, shared mission, accountability, generative conversations and trust.

2. Use interviews to gather data.

Team mates interview each other asking questions like, “When were we at our best?” And, “Can you describe how the team functioned at its best?”

3. Discuss the results starting by examining the strengths of the team.

Use the diagnostic tool and the data from the interviews to create a list of features of when the team was at its best.

4. Examine what would be required to have the team consistently be its best.

Ask questions like:

• “What would it take to be at our best more often?”

• “What behaviors do we need to see more of?”

• “Do we have the desire to relinquish behaviors that are not serving us?”

5. Commit as a group to transformation.

Discuss and prioritize, “What are the 4 to 5 things we could do that would have the most impact on us being a great team?”