The Monday Kickoff
A 15-minute weekly kickoff routine builds focus, priority clarity, and team commitment. Here is why it works and how to run it.
Monday. For some, “let’s go!”, for others, “oh no…” Are you ready for a new week right from the morning? And are you ready to help others so that together you get the best start to the week?
Back in the day, during a department head training, we reviewed winning routines, and the weekly kickoff was one of them. I implemented this 15-30 minute routine, and it proved highly beneficial regardless of whether the team was in the same room or in different cities.
In all its simplicity, it is a concise, shared moment at the start of the week, either live or remote. Why does this work?
- Opening the right “channel”: I can say, quite selfishly, that this opens my own channel to the week’s most important topics. And when everyone gets a moment to speak, it has a massive impact on community and commitment.
- Focus and priorities right now: What is most important this week? What are we focusing on? Are there unexpected issues? Often, it was more important to verbalize what is not a priority and what we are not doing.
- A light structure helps: This is explicitly a routine, not a heavy meeting. A few clear questions are enough. One sentence from a colleague stuck in my head back then: “How do we win this week, and how do we lose?” It positively forced us to think about how we directly and indirectly impact our goals, and whether I control my calendar or if it controls me.
If you are not familiar with it, it is worth trying for a couple of months. Beware of one pitfall, though: a weekly kickoff is not just about exchanging weekend news. That is important too, but on its own, it is not enough.
Aspenly · Thinking