I attend a lot of kickoff meetings. For redesigns, mobile apps, custom databases, you name it.
The best kickoff meetings are the ones where the CEO, Executive Director, the EVP or President attend, participate actively and provide insight. Why?
- When the top person in the organization attends a meeting, staff know that meeting is important. Staff show up and pay attention.
- The CEO usually has a good read on who the organization’s target audiences are and what they need. This perspective usually comes from their frequent interactions with members, partners, sponsors, the media, and Capitol Hill.
- The top person is also usually the top spokesperson for the organization, they can best articulate the brand, mission and voice.
If your CEO opts not to attend, telling you he or she trusts your judgment, still ask for a 20 minute meeting. Ask him or her to rank target audiences and describe what success looks like for your project. Any decent CEO will give you 20 minutes and his or her insight will be an invaluable road map to success.
