A Leader’s Guide to Running Effective Meetings with Purpose

Let’s face it—most of us have sat through meetings that felt like a complete waste of time. But what if we can have effective meetings that are energising, purposeful, and actually drive results? According to Andrew Moore, they absolutely can—and should.

In this blog, we share insights from Andrew Moore, the principal consultant for The Table Group in Australia. Andrew works closely with CEOs and executive teams across industries ranging from emergency services and construction to education, telecommunications, and insurance. His goal is to help organisations build healthier cultures and become more effective by mastering the fundamentals of organisational health.

Let’s zero in on a topic that’s often overlooked but absolutely critical: meetings.

Why are meetings so important?

Andrew makes a compelling case for why meetings are central to a leader’s role. Just as a surgeon’s place is the operating theatre and a teacher’s is the classroom, a meeting room is where leaders do their most important work.

For executives and managers, meetings are the primary environment where strategy, coordination, and decision-making come to life. It’s where different talents and viewpoints are brought together to achieve outcomes no individual could accomplish alone. In short, meetings are the engine room of collaboration, and when they’re done well, they drive an organisation forward.

But here’s the problem: most meetings aren’t effective. In fact, many are flat-out painful. Andrew challenges us to rethink what makes a meeting “good,” offering a simple but powerful framework:

• They must be engaging.

• They must focus on what matters most.

• They must end with clarity.

What does a bad meeting look like?

Not all meetings are created equal. While great meetings drive clarity, connection and collaboration, bad meetings do quite the opposite—and unfortunately, they’re far too common.

Too many leaders get wrapped up in the bigger picture—setting direction, thinking strategically, and communicating the grand vision. While these things are important, they can sometimes overshadow what truly drives success: the team. And one of the most vital ways you show up for your team every day is through the meetings you hold.

When ineffective meetings become the norm, they chip away at morale, waste valuable time, and prevent meaningful progress. One of the most frustrating signs of a bad meeting is when teams spend time discussing topics that only matter to a few people, or worse, topics that aren’t even that important. Another red flag is if people walk away feeling no clearer about their priorities, goals, or how their role contributes to the bigger picture, then the meeting has missed the mark. Andrew calls this the “zombie meeting”—a recurring session that goes through the motions but doesn’t actually move anything forward.

Understanding the Different Types of Meetings

Many meetings go off track simply because participants aren’t clear on the type of conversation they’re meant to be having. To solve this, Andrew recommends splitting meetings into four distinct categories: administrative (daily check-ins), tactical (weekly team meetings), strategic (ad hoc sessions), and quarterly (big-picture check-ins).

Let’s unpack each one.

1. Daily Check-In (Administrative Meeting)

This is the quick, five-to-ten-minute meeting that helps keep everyone in sync day to day. Andrew highlights that this meeting is especially valuable for remote teams. Its main focus is coordination. Team members quickly share what they’re working on, any key priorities, and potential blockers.

The magic of the daily check-in is in its brevity. Andrew suggests each team member simply share two or three things on their plate for the day – the “big rocks”. These check-ins reduce the need for back-and-forth emails and help keep communication flowing.

The biggest risk with this type of meeting is letting it drift beyond admin. It’s tempting to escalate issues, but the discipline lies in sticking to the check-in purpose and taking deeper conversations offline. When done well, these short meetings reinforce team alignment and remind everyone where their collective priorities lie.

2. Weekly Tactical Meeting

This is your standard weekly or fortnightly team meeting, but Andrew stresses the importance of doing it well. Tactical meetings should focus on the immediate two-to-three-week horizon. They’re for reviewing progress, troubleshooting short-term challenges, and aligning on goals.

One of Andrew’s key tips is to avoid letting strategic conversations creep into this space. If a topic is likely to take more than 20 minutes or doesn’t affect the next few weeks, it doesn’t belong here. Parking those bigger conversations and giving them their own time ensures that tactical meetings stay productive and don’t get bogged down in complexity.

Andrew calls the tactical meeting the most challenging of the four, simply because it tends to become the “catch-all.” By intentionally keeping it focused, leaders create room for effective decision-making without overwhelming the agenda.

3. Strategic Meeting

Strategic conversations deserve their own space and their own meetings. These sessions are reserved for high-level planning, big-picture decisions, and complex issues that require deep thinking. Andrew advises that if something feels too important or too large for a tactical meeting, give it the time and space it needs.

This separation allows teams to engage in meaningful strategy discussions without sacrificing the efficiency of their regular check-ins and tactical reviews. Recognising when a conversation crosses into strategic territory is crucial to maintaining meeting discipline, and ensuring nothing important slips through the cracks.

Here’s how to break the discussion into manageable "pots" or sections.’

Give everybody enough information. The first step is to hear from the person who is the most informed on the topic, allowing them to bring the rest of the team up to speed. This ensures everyone has the necessary context to participate in the discussion and generate ideas for solving the problem at hand.

Have a discussion and generate options. Once the team is aligned on the issue, it’s time to move into the brainstorming phase. Here, Andrew suggests allowing the team to explore all possible options. It’s important to create a space where ideas can flow freely, and everyone feels comfortable contributing. Once all options are on the table, the group can start narrowing down choices.

End with clarity. Take a solid 10 minutes to ensure clarity and define the next steps. This final phase is essential for ensuring the team leaves with a clear understanding of what needs to be done, who is responsible for what, and how the team will proceed. This clarity is crucial for turning the strategic discussion into real action and progress.

4. The Big Picture Check-In

A well-run quarterly offsite can re-energise your team and give everyone a stronger sense of shared purpose. Held once a quarter over one or two days, the quarterly offsite is designed to zoom out from the day-to-day and take a broader view. Andrew suggests keeping this meeting intentionally open and reflective. Rather than getting bogged down in details, it’s a time to explore the big questions:

• How are we tracking against our annual strategy?

• What’s the state of our team’s health and functionality?

• Are we aligned on where we’re heading?

This type of meeting helps to reset, reconnect, and realign. It’s also a moment to pause and check in on wellbeing, both individually and as a team. It provides the space for more meaningful, strategic conversations and ensures the team is heading into the next quarter with clarity and cohesion.

Mastering The Art of Running Effective Meetings

As Andrew Moore shared in the podcast, he estimates that at least 95% of meetings taking place are not productive. While this might sound discouraging, there's a silver lining: as a leader, you have a unique opportunity to stand out and make a significant impact. By mastering the art of running effective meetings, you'll belong to a small group of leaders who can truly make a difference in your team and organisation.

Here are the three key takeaways from my conversation with Andrew:

Understand the Purpose of Meetings: According to Andrew, while the ad hoc strategic and off-site meetings need more preparation due to their focus on big-picture issues, administrative and tactical meetings, though easier to plan, can be tricky to keep on track. Having the right structure in place for all meeting types is essential for staying productive and focused.

A Team Needs a Common Goal: As Andrew points out, a team should be a small group of people who are collectively responsible for achieving a common goal. If there’s no shared goal, or as Andrew calls it, a thematic goal, then it’s not truly a team. This simple but powerful idea helps leaders focus their teams on what matters most.

Take Responsibility for the Meetings: Leaders are the ones who set the tone, structure, and engagement level. The key is to make meetings interesting, vibrant, and engaging, which will have a profound impact on the team’s productivity and morale. Once leaders take ownership and realise that meetings can be much better, it will change everything.

What are your takeaways from this topic? Let us know in the comments or on YouTube.

For a deeper dive into the conversation, you can also tune in to the full podcast episode here: A Leader’s Guide to Running Effective Meetings with Purpose with Andrew Moore