Running Effective Meetings and Building Culture in Your Hybrid School

Hello friends!

Today, I want to dive into something super practical for hybrid school founders: running effective meetings and building a healthy team culture. Whether you’re working solo, with a co-founder, or a small team, getting your meetings right can save you tons of time, reduce frustration, and make your team feel connected and supported.

I’m drawing a lot of inspiration from Patrick Lencioni’s book Death by Meeting. It’s written for corporate settings, but the principles translate beautifully to the small, grassroots teams of hybrid school founders.

Why Meetings Often Go Wrong

Have you ever left a meeting feeling like it was a waste of time? Maybe you didn’t get a chance to speak, or some things weren’t addressed. Or maybe the conversation went off on a tangent—talking about the weather, the kids, or who’s doing what for the open house—while something important got overlooked.

This happens all the time, even with just one other person. And it’s really not about people being lazy or disorganized—it’s just human dynamics. The key is learning how to structure meetings so everyone feels heard and your team actually moves forward.

Two Key Leadership Concepts for Productive Meetings

1. Mining for Conflict

This might sound scary, but healthy conflict is a huge part of building culture. As a leader, part of your job is paying attention to conversations and encouraging people to share their honest thoughts—even when it’s a little uncomfortable.

For example, if someone hesitates to speak up about a decision or challenges something you said, that’s a chance for you to step in and say something like:

"Hey, this is a great conversation. Let’s keep going and figure this out together."

This reframes the discussion as positive, normalizes differing opinions, and builds trust. Over time, your team will feel safe speaking up, which is how real collaboration happens.

2. Structured Meetings

Lencioni talks about different types of meetings that can help keep things organized:

• Daily Check-Ins: Short, 5-minute updates on what everyone is working on. This keeps everyone aware of each other’s tasks without diving into strategy or problem-solving.

• Weekly Tactical Meetings: A “lightning round” where everyone shares what they’re working on, challenges they’re facing, and information they need. This helps solve day-to-day problems efficiently.

• Monthly Strategic Meetings: Longer, focused sessions for big-picture planning. This is when you tackle policies, strategy, and important decisions—not minor tactical details.

Even if you’re working from home with kids around, you can adapt this. Maybe your “daily check-in” is a text or quick email. Weekly meetings could be a Zoom call. And monthly strategy sessions? Treat them as anchor points where you actually sit down and plan.

Delegation and Leveraging Strengths

Another tip—especially when building a program with a small team—is to assign tasks based on strengths. Even in the early days, notice what each person naturally gravitates toward and let them own it.

For example:

• One person might love digging into student information systems. Let them research, demo, and pick the one that works best.

• Another might excel at details and lists. Let them handle applications, paperwork, or organizing logistics.

This not only saves time but also builds confidence and accountability within your team.

However, you also must lead by making sure each person understands her job assignment and her area of ‘authority’. Sometimes someone gravitates naturally, which is great, except… they never get a clear job description and title, not everyone knows what they do, they aren’t sure when and where they can make decisions, or others do not know when to include them or defer to them. Proper delegation avoids this pitfall by making sure the role is clear to the person and everyone else!

Bringing It All Together

Running meetings and building culture aren’t separate from leadership—they are leadership. By:

• Mining for conflict in a healthy, positive way

• Structuring meetings with purpose

• Delegating based on strengths

…you create an environment where your team can work efficiently, communicate openly, and actually enjoy working together.

Even if you’re just getting started at your kitchen table, taking time to plan meetings, assign tasks, and check in regularly will help you stay organized and focused without burning out.