What’s on the Agenda?
Keep eyes from glazing over during production meetings by adding these crowd-appropriate items to your agenda:
One-minute highlights: Each person talks about something specific that went right during the past week. Length: 60 seconds per person. Benefit: A positive moment in a meeting that might be focused on problems.
Remodeling job issues: Any trouble spots involving budget, safety, schedule, or manpower. Length: Varies. Benefit: Peer-to-peer problem solving.
Sales referrals: Each salesperson talks about referrals they’ve received due to the carpenters’ good work in the field. Length: 2 minutes per salesperson. Benefit: Quick, positive feedback that allows lead carpenters to make the connection between their work and new business.
Safety training: Review OSHA — as well as off-the-job — safety information. “Sometimes it’s as simple as a skit about ladder safety,” Mark IV’s Andy Hannan says. Length: 5 to 10 minutes. Benefit: Workers stay safe 24/7.
Skill training: Discuss one aspect of how the business works. Example: “Last meeting, we did change-order training,” Hannan says. “I put a change order example on the board and asked the superintendents to calculate it as they saw it. I had three people do it one way and three do it another.” Length: 15 to 20 minutes. Benefit: Smarter, faster teams. “Change orders are a big part of what we do,” he says. “So learning to process them correctly is important.”