05 Jun For Business Couples – A Weekly Recap
When it comes to business couples and communication, a little structure goes a long way. Running a business can be stressful and if you’re going to make it a success, you’ve got to stay in sync. But with everything you’ve got going on, it can be hard to keep up to date with each other. Your mutual goals can get lost in the shuffle and problems can be left to fester. It’s easy to let communication slide.
That’s why we advocate a structure to help you address issues on a regular basis. We call it the Weekly Recap. It’s a time you set aside each week to meet as couples in business and talk about you – me – us – and the business. To keep current with each other, catch problems when they’re small, and help you run your lives more smoothly.
Some couples set aside a two-hour chunk of time every week for an extended conversation. Others like to break it up into two conversations. Here’s an example:
On Friday, you download: Play back what happened over the last week. What were the key events? What went well? What concerned us? What did we notice? What did we learn?
On Sunday, you upload: Play forward what will happen in the coming week. What’s on the schedule? Who’s responsible for what? What do we want to accomplish this week?
It can be helpful to make notes about things you’d like to talk over with your partner. But you don’t need to have a set agenda unless you’d like to. You can have an organic, free-flowing discussion if that’s more your style.
However you organize it, the keys to your Weekly Recap are that it be regular and scheduled; free from distractions; and that each of you has a chance to listen and be heard.
Now you may be wondering: Why do we need a weekly meeting when we already spend every day together in the business?!
The answer is that when you’re in the business, the focus is on the business. And there’s much more to your relationship than that. When you’re at work, you might touch on issues in passing, but some things require more than just snatches of conversation.
The answer is also that you’ll have an opportunity to talk about things you’ve been meaning to bring up… but just never felt like the timing was right. The Weekly Recap gives you a “right time” once a week, every week.
This Week:
What problems, challenges or ideas would you discuss at your first Weekly Recap? What would make you look forward to the next one?
If your communication has been drifting, the Weekly Recap can help you get back on track.
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