Whiteboard Magic

Meetings can sometimes be the bane of a leader's existence (whether they should be is another story).

The one meeting that I've found to have the most impact on culture, engagement, and, yes, performance, is the simple morning meeting. Whether it's called a pre-shift, morning startup (or standup), or "the daily", it helps to ensure a team is on the same page, and priorities are well established.

My favourite way to conduct this meeting is, you guess it, at a big, worn-in whiteboard. And yes, I know digital whiteboards are available for remote teams, but they don't replace the original (at least in spirit).

What is this meeting all about?

First, it's a maximum of 15 minutes. That’s it. ⌛

No slides, no chairs, no fluff. People standing and engaged (or yes, they will be asked a question to verify they are actively listening).

A whiteboard, some markers (multiple colours, and all in working order - it's such a downer when the green begins to fade), and a shared commitment to clarity. ✏️

There must be cross-functional representation; attendance is mandatory (delegates are welcome), and it should be daily. The whiteboard location should be in the area where the work is taking place, not in some "ivory tower" meeting room. Yes, sometimes noise and traffic can be an issue, but that's the reality of the business.

When I first used this daily standup rhythm in a manufacturing setting years ago, I didn’t expect it to become the heartbeat of the operation. But it did, and I've since applied it in healthcare and tech settings, with similar results.

How do I know it became so crucial to the organization?

A quick story. I value people's time immensely. It's a commitment and a show of respect. When I call a meeting, I'm looking to start and end on time. If we find that the time is not adequate, I'll call another meeting; however, for this meeting, the time is up.

Well, for this daily startup, especially in the early days, I was in the habit of paging people (across the entire plant) who were late to show up. Yes, some names were paged far more than others, and some of these people were my peers, but I felt we needed it to set the tone (we were a location full of younger people, many in their 1st professional jobs).

After a few months with this meeting in place, the pages were still happening, although less frequently. I spoke to my leader at one point about the practice, and he urged me to continue doing it, as it set a tone. He actually told me that he views it as one of his two bellwether events to determine if the culture of accountability and ownership is taking hold. The higher the frequency and number of names I call, the more he knows we're still not there yet. When we go a week or two without any, he sees progress.

To this day, I'm not sure how accurately he tracked it, but he was right; it is a sign of respect and accountability. Two basic behaviours in most organizations.

So, back to the topic of what gets covered in this meeting?

Simple:

-Yesterday’s results (safety, quality, output, customer feedback)

-Today’s focus

-Emerging issues (that could be impactful in the next ~3-30 days), and most importantly,

-Who’s owning what?

It creates a rhythm of accountability. A sense of momentum. Everyone, from leadership to support teams to direct contributors, gets on the same page every morning without fail.

But here’s where it gets interesting: When something’s off, maybe we missed a target or had a safety incident, we don’t just shrug and move on. We problem-solve, right there. We get to the point, and if it takes longer, we know that's a separate discussion.

The format I've used is based on the humble fishbone diagram. Which has its origins in problem solving and finding root causes ("aha", there is a parallel to the picture).

Also known as the Ishikawa diagram, it’s deceptively simple. You divide the board into the main areas: Methods (Process), Materials, Machines (Equipment), Manpower (People), Measurement (KPIs), and Mother Nature (I take liberty here and use 'Customer' instead).

You can customize those categories to suit your environment, of course.

Typically, a different team member is responsible for completing one section. Then we review it all. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes. Other times, it’s a gateway to a deeper dive later that day. But it always pushes us ahead. At its core, it’s about visibility, structure, and shared ownership.

15 minutes a day. That’s all it takes to start a culture of clarity.