By Sam Robinson
In Australian industry, weekly team meetings are a staple – but let’s be honest, many are more endurance test than engagement tool. When you’ve got teams challenged by floods, safety priorities, and supply delays, the last thing you want is a weekly ritual that feels like groundhog day.
So how do we make these meetings matter?
Start with purpose. A weekly meeting should never be a recap of what everyone already knows. At one depot in New South Wales, supervisors replaced the lengthy “update roundtable” with a 15-minute rapid huddle that included three elements: a standout success from the past week, a challenge that needs solving, and a crew shout-out. That format sparked natural energy and brought focus to what matters: learning, problem-solving, and recognition.
Inject ownership. At one yard in one of our clients, teams take turns running the weekly – from scheduling to agenda-setting. It’s no longer “the manager’s meeting” but a shared tool for continuous improvement.
And finally, make it visual. Operational teams respond well to data – but only if it’s relevant. One rail team uses a “signal status” board to visually show how key safety metrics are tracking. If something’s red, it triggers a quick brainstorm: What’s going wrong? What can we try differently? Weekly meetings don’t need to be stale. They just need to be real, useful, and owned by the team – not forced on them.
At LKS Quaero, we help our clients make meetings matter. For more information, visit us at lksquaero.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.
