Meetings that are short and to the point, with prepared agendas, discussion topics and planned follow-up actions, are necessary and productive. The types of meetings listed below will help you advance the progress of your firm’s industry strategy and, ultimately, accelerate growth.

 

  1. National industry leaders should meet to share common challenges/hurdles and offer best practices that will help the group. These regularly scheduled meetings should occur at least twice a year, and on an as-needed basis.

 

  1. Each industry’s national industry leadership team should meet (hopefully in person) for a full strategic planning workshop. At a minimum, they should meet annually to review successes, compare notes and assessments of the industry practice and share insights regarding industry opportunities. The strategic plan should be reviewed/refreshed every two years.

 

  1. Each industry’s national industry leadership team should also conduct teleconferences or in-person meetings, preferably on a more frequent basis. These regular “working meetings” should focus on committee activities, including internal industry training, thought leadership, internal communications and knowledge sharing. Meetings should enable each regional or office industry leader to report on business development activities, including top sales pursuits progressing from leads to qualified opportunities to wins or losses. These meetings provide the right forum to discuss existing client cross-selling opportunities and staffing needs for key industry accounts. Operational topics such as standardized client service methodologies, work papers or templates should also be important agenda topics.

 

  1. Industry regional or office teams should meet frequently to execute local industry growth strategies. At these meetings, seasoned partners can mentor and coach newer professionals on how to develop a growth mindset, reinforce a positive culture of collaboration, and provide the proper environment for learning and exposure to technical and non-technical topics about their clients’ industry.

  2. A “take one” policy is strongly encouraged, where partners, directors or senior managers on industry teams regularly take a supervisor or manager with them to industry networking events. Attending networking events early in their careers increases professionals’ comfort levels, which will build over time. 


Meetings should reinforce the behaviors and activities that are expected to occur between meetings. During meetings, participants can identify informal partnerships for authoring articles or plan to attend industry networking events together. Pursuit or targeting teams can be formed where several team members work together to win new work. Meetings are great venues for informing the broader group about go-to-market achievements since the last meeting or planning for industry market-facing activities that will occur before the next team meeting.