Do you love meetings? Or hate them?

To be honest, I actually like them. I like seeing my team together, swapping ideas and working towards a common goal.

But, most people can't stand meetings. They're a waste of time, most argue, and nothing gets done.

Here's the thing about meetings: They're an exact reflection of the leader's preparedness. So, if you're preparing a meeting, consider the following:

1. What's the purpose? What's the main takeaway? Make sure everyone there knows what the purpose of the meeting is to begin with.
2. What are the goals? How do you know if the meeting is effective? By ensuring every person walks away with individual goals and a to-do list.
3. What's the agenda? So many meetings go without any form or function. Create an agenda, and stick to it. Only give people time enough to make their case, then cut them off!
4. What are the rules? Per the above, every meeting needs ground rules. Who's leading? Who's speaking? How long do they have? What about interruptions? Is there a hard stop, or will the meeting continue until it's done?

Even being thoughtful about these 4 simple elements would make most meetings much, much better. But the truth is, even if you do these things, people may still not want to attend your meetings.

But if that's the case, you're the leader -- it's your job to make everyone understand why it's so important to come together, and to even make it fun to do so. Consider adding some surprises, like passing out candy or snacks.

I could venture to make this much more complicated, but what I usually find working with companies is that they miss these critical 4: the purpose, the goals, the agenda and the rules. Simply being more aware of these, and being more thoughtful about your meetings in general, will go a long, long way.

If you're unsure if this will work, I recommend you have a meeting about it.