One thing all the most successful Chapters have in common is their professionalism. When a professional standard is set and adhered to, Chapters do better, which leads to more money in the pockets of each Chapter member. A higher calibre of members are attracted to join and visitors are exposed to an impressive meeting and membership base, making them eager to conduct business with the members.
Some members may at times struggle with the importance of professionalism. We hear statements such as “If we’re passing business, why can’t we have a bit of fun as well?” The answer to that question is, you can, but it needs to be at the right time and never at the expense of professionalism. However, it’s not just the fun stuff that creeps in.
For example, a Leadership Team may decide that taking care of general housekeeping is handled most efficiently during the meeting. But even if that’s true, is the efficient handling of housekeeping the best thing for the Chapter?
The easiest way to keep the meeting professional and on track is to simply follow the BNI 20 Point Agenda. The meeting agenda, when followed, ensures that the meeting ends on a high note which in turn means there’s a positive vibe in the room when visitors return from orientation to continue networking.
If you’ve ever experienced a meeting that ended with “housekeeping”, then I challenge you to compare the energy levels in the room with a meeting that ends as intended, i.e. on a positive quote.
Sometimes when we strive to be efficient, it is at the expense of being effective. A Chapter President’s primary role is to deliver the best possible business networking experience in Adelaide, and Chapter members look to their leadership team to see that this standard is maintained.
If there are housekeeping matters to discuss or notify the members of, utilise the Chapter’s closed Facebook Group. Not only is this a perfect platform for sharing all forms of information, but it also creates a record that members can refer back to when they need to refresh themselves on any details. Plus, Chapters with highly active Facebook groups are renowned for being high achieving Chapters with healthy cultures.
Next time you’re contemplating raising something during the meeting, ask yourself if it forms part of the 20 Point Agenda. If it doesn’t, speak to your President or Vice-President outside of the meeting instead.
If you’d like to hear what Dr. Ivan Misner has to say on this, there’s a great podcast on a similar topic here.
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There’s also plenty of great informative podcasts to listen to here.