Hi there! I hope that you are all well,
Laya Pelzner, Associate Director of Synagogue Services, forwarded me a fascinating article about how much time we waste in meetings: http://www.pastors.com/blogs/ministrytoolbox/archive/2011/02/08/are-you-spending-too-much-time-in-meetings.aspx. Amazing, 65% of all pastors spend over 50 hours a week in meetings. Knowing how much Jews love meetings, I imagine Rabbis and synagogue leadership could potentially spend around 80 hours a week in meetings. That is simply too much precious time that could be better spent on making a real difference. I am not anti-meetings, but there is a right way to have them. Here are some keys to running more productive meetings:
1. Clarify the purpose ahead of time.
2. Start and end on time.
3. Be tough with staying on task.
4. Develop a meeting roadmap, e.g. where you plan to me at each 20 minute interval (adapt for alternative length meetings).
5. Keep discussions local and save the broader discussions for email exchanges.
See you around,
Shlomo Einhorn
Rabbi of West Side Institutional Synagogue - www.wsisny.org
Director of WINGS – A OU Synagogue Consulting Group – http://www.ou.org/synagogue_services/wings
Email: wings@ou.org
