There’s something very comforting about walking a familiar path, or the company of old friends. Did you ever consider why?
It’s because our brains aren’t stressed. We’re not learning new basic information. We know so much already and we can focus just on what’s important.
This is important for leaders to know when shaping the culture of their team.
It’s also an important part of good meetings.
Remember – if the purpose of meetings is to make, or help make, good decisions – low stressed brains are a good thing.
Knowing their part in the routine of a meeting helps team members focus on doing that part better.
Having a routine to your meetings helps people know their part. It doesn’t make people less creative, it makes them more creative!
It’s also why trust between team members is so important…
Keeping a regular day & time might seem trivial but it’s not. Constantly adjusting schedules take more energy to manage and are another reason for concentration to lapse (apart from the disruption your constantly changing calendar has on other people’s plans).
“to.. help make good decisions, low stressed brains are a good thing…”
Meeting routines and even rituals don’t take away from creativity, but can add to it if used as a safe home base to limit distractions and enable your team to focus on the important things.
A good regular meeting should be like walking a stimulating, but familiar, path.