Why Most Family Business Meetings Go Nowhere (And How To Fix That)

7 July

You walk out of the meeting, nothing's resolved, same problems, same result, and you know you'll be having this exact conversation again next week.

But it's not the problems that are the issue. It's how you're having the conversation. Most family business owners think more meetings means more progress, but back-to-back meetings usually just mean back-to-back frustration. And it doesn't stay at work. It follows you home.

In this episode, Mark and Caroline break down the four-step framework that turns meetings that go nowhere into conversations that actually move your business forward, the kind that end with everyone knowing exactly what they're doing next, and by when. They get into why listening to reply is quietly wrecking your conversations, the one language trick that keeps people out of defence mode, and the accountability step almost every business owner skips.

Fifteen minutes to change how every hard conversation in your business goes from here.

Want to work through this in person?

We're giving away golden tickets to our two-day Mastermind Intensive on the Gold Coast, 22nd and 23rd of July. Normally exclusive to Mastermind members. Drop ‘GOLDEN’ in the YouTube comments or hit the link in the podcast notes to enter. We're drawing on Monday the 13th of July. We'd love to see you there.

In today's podcast, Mark explores:

01:17 - Why more meetings sometimes means more wasted time
02:35 - How to get crystal clear before a conversation starts so it doesn't go off the rails
04:37 - Why listening to reply is quietly killing your conversations and the questions that fix it
09:10 - How to use this framework with your business partner, your team, and your managers
10:05 - Why staying stuck in the problem is the most unproductive thing you can do and how to get out of it fast
11:28 - Why knowing who does what by when is what stops good conversations from going absolutely nowhere
12:29 - The things that kill productive conversations before they even get started and the simple language trick that keeps everyone out of defence mode
14:16 - Why a bad conversation at work never stays at work and what this framework does for your relationship at home

Quotes

“What you really want to achieve is conversations that lead to two things: a positive outcome and enhancing or furthering a positive relationship.” - Mark Creedon

“Accountability is who's going to do what by when. I love the concept of BAM FAM - Book a Meeting From a Meeting.” - Mark Creedon

“Healthy businesses aren't just built on systems. They're really built on productive conversations. And if you're talking about couples or families in business, there's another dynamic there, because if you have an unhealthy and unproductive conversation at work, that shit's going to follow you home.” - Mark Creedon

“Focus on the solution, what we need to control in this conversation. What are the next best steps? Who do we need to solve this problem, and when is it going to be solved by?” - Caroline Creedon

“Don't listen to reply or to have a snazzy reply. Listen to understand. We have two ears and one mouth. So let's listen a bit more.” - Caroline Creedon

“Every productive conversation needs to finish with no assumptions. Everybody needs to be clear on what it is that they're committing to, what it's going to look like, so that all expectations are met.” - Caroline Creedon

The Mastermind for Business podcast is powered by Business Accelerator Mastermind, a coaching program that helps service business owners and professionals double their revenue whilst halving their time in the business. Each week, Mark Creedon, a Business Coach at Business Accelerator Mastermind, speaks with some of the best business minds in the world and shares simple, practical steps you can take to create the business you always wanted.

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About Mastermind Business Accelerator

Mastermind Business Accelerator is a hands-on practical program aimed at driving results fast. Spearheaded by Mark and Caroline Creedon and a range of highly qualified experts, the program will give you back the freedom you hoped for when you first started your business or professional practice. With his coaching program, Business Accelerator Mastermind, Mark helps business owners maximise their time, set and achieve goals, while remaining accountable.