Meeting Rhythm Principles from Scaling Up
Verne Harnish’s Scaling Up advocates an intentional rhythm of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual meetings to keep communication flowing, drive accountability and maintain strategic alignment. Meetings give a company a “heartbeat” that allows people to share updates, identify issues early and adjust priorities quickly. The guidelines below synthesize the meeting‑rhythm principles described in the book, related guidance from the Growth Institute (which Harnish co‑founded), and resources from Scaling Up coaches. They outline suggested meeting lengths, participants and agendas for each cadence.
Benefits of a Meeting Rhythm
Faster communication: Regular meetings reduce ad‑hoc interruptions and allow information to move quickly through the organization.
Reduced hassle: Pre‑scheduled meetings free people from constantly arranging ad‑hoc calls, saving time and energy.
Alignment and execution: Short daily huddles and weekly meetings surface issues and opportunities early, which prevents these from clogging longer meetings and ensures decisions are made promptly.
Team cohesion: Sharing good news and personal wins fosters camaraderie and helps teams connect on a human level.
Scaling the company’s DNA: Monthly and quarterly meetings transmit the values, strategy and priorities of the leadership team to middle managers and the broader workforce.
Overview of Meeting Rhythms
The Scaling Up methodology uses a nested rhythm of meetings—daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual. Each cadence has a specific purpose, recommended participants and length, and a structured agenda.
Meeting cadence
Daily huddle
Brief check‑in to synchronize work for the next 24 hours and surface immediate obstacles ; typically held standing up to keep it short .
5–15 min; about one minute per person .
“What’s up”/headlines (key activities or news); share daily metrics; identify obstacles or “stucks” .
Weekly meeting
Tactical meeting to review progress on quarterly priorities and leverage the team’s collective intelligence to resolve 1–2 key issues .
60–90 min .
Share good news (5 min); review priorities & metrics (10 min); review customer/employee feedback (10 min); focus on one or two key topics for 30–60 min; finish with a “Who‑What‑When” summary and one‑phrase close .
Monthly management meeting
Opportunity for senior, middle and frontline managers to learn, discuss strategic topics and help solve bigger issues; critical for scaling the leadership “DNA” to middle managers .
Half‑day to full day (approximately 2–4 hours for smaller firms , up to 4–8 hours for larger organizations )
Start with personal good news; strategic training topic; review wins and misses; review financial statements and critical numbers ; review quarterly priorities; discuss customer and employee insights; discuss “stucks” and help needed; identify, discuss and solve (IDS) the most pressing business issue; end with a one‑phrase close .
Quarterly planning meeting
Off‑site planning session for the leadership team to update the One Page Strategic Plan and set 90‑day “rocks”/priorities .
½–1 day; some organizations dedicate a full day (about 8–10 hours) .
Icebreaker or team exercise; review previous quarter commitments and performance; CFO reports financial results ; strategic training; update SWOT and strategy components (core values, purpose, sandbox, core competencies, X‑factor, Profit/X, BHAG and brand promise) ; set 3‑year and 1‑year goals; determine critical numbers and company priorities for the next quarter; develop rocks and 13‑week priorities; share plans; schedule dates and close with one phrase .
Annual planning/strategic retreat
Longer off‑site retreat to review the past year, recalibrate the long‑term strategy (3–5 year targets and BHAG) and set the annual theme and priorities .
1–3 days; small firms may complete planning in one day, while larger teams often need two to three days .
Similar to the quarterly agenda but more strategic: icebreaker; review prior year commitments and financial performance ; review Rockefeller Habits and conduct strategic training; update SWOT and deep‑dive on strategy (7 Strata); revisit core values and purpose; examine core competencies, X‑factor and Profit per X; review BHAG and brand promise ; set 3‑year thrusts and annual goals ; define critical numbers and company priorities for the year ; develop 13‑week executive plans; share plans; discuss themes and rewards; set future dates; close with one phrase .
Detailed Guidance for Each Meeting
Daily Huddle
Purpose: Synchronize the team and surface issues so they can be addressed quickly. The huddle saves everyone hours of e‑mail and interruptions and is essential for scaling organizations .
Attendees: All team members. Managers typically attend two huddles—a team huddle and a leadership huddle .
Length: Keep it to 5–15 minutes; plan about one minute per person . Standing or holding the meeting at an odd time (e.g., 8:08 a.m.) encourages punctuality and brevity .
Agenda:
What’s up? Each person shares what’s happening in the next 24 hours—key meetings, deadlines, decisions, etc. Keep it specific and forward‑looking .
Daily metrics: Review the critical numbers or KPIs to spot patterns and trends .
Where are you stuck? Team members share constraints or concerns that could prevent them from having a great next 24 hours . Even if nobody present can solve the problem, voicing the issue often sparks ideas .
Tips: Host the meeting even if some people call in. Discourage generalities—specifics help others compare information . Avoid micromanaging by checking whether someone completed a task the previous day . End on time even if the agenda isn’t complete .
Weekly Meeting
Purpose: Review progress on quarterly priorities (rocks), share feedback from customers and employees, and use the team’s collective intelligence to solve one or two pressing issues .
Attendees: Leadership team or departmental teams; many organizations hold separate weekly meetings for each functional team .
Length: 60–90 minutes. Front‑line teams may finish in about 60 minutes, while executive teams may need a full 90 minutes .
Agenda:
Good news (5 min): Personal and professional wins to start on a positive note .
Review priorities (10 min): Status of pre‑set quarterly priorities; discuss gaps in progress; review any metrics not covered in the daily huddle .
Customer and employee feedback (10 min): Specific feedback from customers and employees to identify trends and issues .
Deep dive (30–60 min): Focus on one or two key topics. Use data from daily huddles, progress on priorities or emerging opportunities/challenges to select topics . The team debates, decides and assigns next actions.
Who‑What‑When summary: Summarize who agreed to do what by when, and send the notes to all participants .
One‑phrase close: Each participant shares a word or phrase summarizing their reaction to the meeting .
Tips: Schedule the weekly meeting at the same time and place each week . Many organizations hold all functional meetings on one day (e.g., Friday) so that executives can focus on execution the rest of the week .
Monthly Management Meeting
Purpose: Develop middle managers, share the organization’s “DNA” (values and strategic priorities) and tackle larger issues that require cross‑functional collaboration .
Attendees: Everyone who supervises or manages others—senior, middle and frontline managers .
Length: Half‑day to full day. A smaller organization may complete the agenda in 2–4 hours , while larger companies often need 4–8 hours .
Agenda:
Personal good news: Start with personal wins to build rapport and stimulate a relaxed, open state .
Strategic training (education): A short training module or audit of the Rockefeller Habits to build management capability .
Wins and misses: Review accomplishments and items that were missed during the prior month; discuss recovery plans for misses .
Financial review: Examine income statement, cash position, accounts receivable/payable and any variances .
Critical numbers and metrics: Review KPI scorecards; discuss performance on critical numbers .
Quarterly priorities: Review progress on rocks and discuss what’s going well and what needs to be fixed .
Customer and employee insights: Identify trends and de‑hassle opportunities based on feedback collected from weekly meetings .
Help needed/stucks: Managers share where they need help or where processes can be improved .
Identify–Discuss–Solve (IDS): Select the most pressing business issue, discuss it collectively and assign actions .
One‑phrase close: Each manager summarizes the meeting in one phrase .
Tips: Include a break and team lunch if the meeting runs a full day . Some organizations also hold a separate monthly town hall for all employees to share updates, but managers should be briefed first .
Quarterly Planning Meeting
Purpose: Step back from daily operations to assess strategic issues, refresh the One Page Strategic Plan and align the leadership team on the next 90‑day sprint .
Attendees: Executive team; some firms include the broader leadership team or additional key contributors .
Length: Half‑day to full day; many companies schedule 8–10 hours off‑site .
Agenda:
Team exercise/icebreaker: Build rapport and prepare for strategic dialogue .
Review previous quarter: Each leader reports on commitments and performance; fosters accountability and highlights differences between A‑, B‑ and C‑players . CFO presents financial results .
Review Rockefeller Habits: Assess progress on the 10 habits and identify gaps .
Strategic training: Topic to build the team’s strategic thinking skills .
Update SWOT/SVT: Refresh SWOT analysis and strategic thinking tools to reflect current realities .
Strategy deep‑dive: Review and refine core values, core purpose, sandbox/core customer, core competencies, X‑factor, Profit per X, BHAG and brand promise .
Set long‑term and short‑term goals: Establish 3‑year and 1‑year goals; define critical numbers for the upcoming quarter and year; determine company priorities (rocks) and key metrics/lead indicators .
Develop 13‑week priorities: Each executive creates personal and functional priorities for the coming quarter and shares them with the team .
Theme and rewards: Decide on a unifying theme and incentives to motivate the organization .
Schedule next meetings: Confirm future quarterly and annual meeting dates .
One‑phrase close: Close with a one‑phrase check‑out .
Annual Planning / Strategic Retreat
Purpose: Conduct a deeper strategic review, test assumptions, refresh core ideology and set the annual theme and priorities . This meeting also bonds the leadership team and fosters creative thinking.
Attendees: Executive leadership team; may include senior managers or the broader leadership cohort .
Length: 1–3 days. Smaller firms may complete planning in a day, but most companies allocate two or three days .
Agenda: The agenda mirrors the quarterly meeting but expands the scope:
Icebreaker/team bonding: Begin with team exercises, assessments (DISC, Kolbe, CliftonStrengths, etc.) and social activities to build trust .
Review prior year: Report on commitments and financial performance for the year; discuss wins and misses .
Review Rockefeller Habits: Evaluate how well the company adheres to the habits and identify improvements .
Strategic training: Focus on long‑term strategic thinking and leadership development .
Update SWOT and strategic tools: Refresh SWOT/SVT; dive deeply into the 7 Strata of strategy and the Blue Ocean concepts .
Core ideology: Reaffirm or refine core values, core purpose and brand promise .
Long‑term strategy: Examine the sandbox/core customer, core competencies, X‑factor, and Profit/X; revisit or refine the BHAG .
Set long‑range goals: Establish 3‑year thrusts/capabilities and 1‑year goals; set one or two critical numbers for the year and quarter .
Develop annual and quarterly priorities: Identify company priorities/rocks, key metrics and lead indicators; develop 13‑week plans for executives; share plans and get feedback .
Theme and rewards: Decide on an annual theme and incentives; align them with the strategy .
Schedule next meeting dates and one‑phrase close: Confirm future meetings and close with a one‑phrase check‑out .
Putting It All Together
Scaling Up’s meeting rhythm is designed to establish a predictable cadence of communication and decision‑making. Short, daily huddles surface issues and keep everyone synchronized; weekly meetings tap the team’s collective intelligence to make decisions; monthly management meetings develop middle managers and address larger issues; quarterly planning sessions reset priorities and refresh strategy; and annual retreats step back to test assumptions and set long‑range direction. By following the suggested lengths and agendas, teams can maintain focus, align around the company’s core ideology and goals, and drive disciplined execution.
