Business Meeting Schedule: When to Set Company Priorities

This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Traction" by Gino Wickman. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.

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Meetings are a core part of any business’s agenda. But what exactly are you supposed to talk about during the meetings? And when is the best time to schedule them? According to Gino Wickman, the author of Traction, you only really need to schedule two types of meetings throughout the year.

These meetings are essential to ensure your business is on track and maintaining your company’s vision. Here is how to set an optimal business meeting schedule where you can communicate your priorities to employees, according to Wickman.

Originally Published: March 11, 2021
Last Updated: January 21, 2026

Hold Regular Leadership Meetings

To execute your vision, Wickman suggests you should create a business meeting schedule to keep everyone accountable and make progress toward your goals. He suggests two types of meetings:

Quarterly meetings: At the start of each quarter, review the previous quarter’s results, such as the financials and the priorities you’ve achieved. Then, set new priorities for the next 90 days.

Weekly meetings: Once you’ve set your quarterly priorities, meet with your leadership team weekly to stay focused and address issues. Review your tracked numbers, priorities, and last week’s tasks. Also, use this time to solve the problems on your lists.

Tips for Holding Effective Meetings

In Death by Meeting, Patrick Lencioni explains that most meetings feel like a waste of time because they lack the drama and conflict that keep people engaged. He argues that meetings should be as compelling as movies—they need a hook in the first 10 minutes that explains what’s at stake for the company and its employees. For instance, you might explain that the company is under threat, or that it’s struggling to make a dent in a new market. Alternatively, if you don’t want to start on a negative note, explain how a good decision could make life better for employees, clients, or the world.

Lencioni recommends holding weekly and quarterly meetings as Wickman suggests, but he also mentions two additional types:

First, he recommends holding daily five-minute check-ins where everyone shares what they’re working on that day. When everyone knows what their colleagues are doing, there’s less confusion and redundant work throughout the day.

Second, he suggests monthly strategic meetings lasting two to four hours, where you debate major decisions with only two to three topics on the agenda. Unlike Wickman’s weekly and quarterly meetings that focus on tracking progress and setting priorities, these strategic sessions give you time to thoroughly explore big questions like whether to expand into a new market or change your target customer.

Clarify 90-Day Priorities for Everyone

Wickman suggests you also meet with your senior leaders to review your vision and set quarterly priorities. Start by listing everything that must be accomplished in the next 90 days to move toward your vision.

Then, narrow this list to three to seven company priorities. For each priority, set a deadline and make sure it’s specific, measurable, and achievable. Assign one leadership team member to own each priority. This person creates a timeline, assigns tasks to team members, and makes sure the work gets done.

(Shortform note: In Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, Verne Harnish recommends creating a fun theme for your 90-day priorities to make them more engaging. For example, if you’re working to boost customer satisfaction scores, you might create a space exploration theme called “Mission to the Stars” with posters showing your team as astronauts exploring new frontiers of service excellence. When the team hits their goal, reward them with a team outing to a planetarium or escape room with a space theme. This gives your team something to look forward to and a way to celebrate their wins together, making your quarterly priorities feel more like shared challenges worth conquering.)

After setting company priorities, have everyone set their own goals: Each leadership team member sets three to seven priorities for the quarter (including any company priority they own). Compile all company and leadership priorities onto one page and review this list weekly at leadership meetings. Then, each department and each employee follows the same process to set one to three priorities of their own.

(Shortform note: In Working Backwards, Colin Bryar and Bill Carr explain how Amazon takes Wickman’s prioritization even further with single-responsibility teams. Unlike traditional companies, where employees juggle multiple projects simultaneously, Amazon assigns each team one focus—like expanding into a new market or improving a specific service. This prevents people from having too many scattered priorities that go unfinished. So, when setting priorities, consider limiting the number to the lower end of Wickman’s range if you want to ensure they get successfully executed.)

Business Meeting Schedule: When to Set Company Priorities