Power & Pitfalls of Toolbox Meetings

Andy
Hell yeah! Is the good old toolbox meeting dead? Or should toolbox meetings be a staple in every trade business? Well, welcome to this week’s episode of The Tradie Show, where we’ll be discussing the pros and cons of regular in person toolbox talks. 

Ange
Yes. So Andy, I know some listeners will be eye rolling about toolbox meetings thinking, you know what? They’re just a big fat waste of time with little or no value. And you know what? They’re right. Toolbox meetings can be a drain on productivity, but on the flip side, toolbox meetings can drive productivity. 

Andy
Yeah, it’s not surprising to me out there that there’s a heap of trade businesses I know that do not Have regular toolbox meetings with their staff.

Ange
Hmm. Interesting. Why do you think that is? 

Andy
Well, like you said, Ange, you know, many trade business owners think that having these meetings take up so much valuable time that they could be better spent on the tools out there in the field, earning money. But I know, for a fact, that having regular toolbox meetings made an absolutely huge difference with our team at Dr. Drip. 

Ange
Yeah, I agree. Those fortnightly catch ups were absolute gold, weren’t they? Often with a much loved bacon and egg roll fry up and that coffee to kickstart the day, right? 

Andy
Yeah. You know, these days it’s more of a kickstarter with some healthier options, or maybe the young guys loving their avo on toast and green juice. But back in my day, it was a dirty, disgusting bacon and egg roll dripping with oil with a bit of barbie sauce on it and a nice crap coffee from Makona. 

Ange
So true. So you definitely love those regular catch ups as a way to brainstorm new ideas with the team and Keep everyone updated on important happenings in the business, I’d say. It definitely helped the tradies and the office team feel more connected and engaged. 

Andy
Exactly. You know, having these meetings was a chance to review the business as a whole, look at all of our systems. Look at our WHS training and also a heap of sales training as well. But at the same time, the team bonding was on fire and there was nothing better for us on a Monday morning, listening to the young roosters. Talking about Theatre Nuttingens on the weekend as well. Yeah. A lot of fun. And really basically allowing the team to get together and talk shit. 

Ange
That last one sounds super productive.

Andy
Yeah. The more time you give them to shoot the breeze, the better. And don’t forget the most important part, celebrating recent birthdays or milestones with a cake. 

Ange
He doesn’t love a good cake. So there were other core business topics that we covered too. So you mentioned WHS training, but you know, the whole risk management, we did actually lots of updates about procedures. It is a chance to talk about any new marketing campaigns that you’ve got going on inside the business so that everyone is aware at the same time and how it affects them. We actually did lots of role playing with regards to sales techniques with our guys so that they actually really caught on as to what it was we wanted them to do out in the field. We spent a lot of time chatting through even customer feedback and, you know, sharing that with the team and we did actually use this time to give them an opportunity to clean out their vehicles if they haven’t already.

Andy
Yeah, we all know that guys are meant to clean their vehicles themselves in their own time but You know, at Dr. Drip, we really made it when we had those meetings. It was a chance to, to get it all cleaned out. And we’d actually have someone going around the trucks and making sure all the tools and everything were in place and making everything clean and tidy. So I know it sounds like a lot, right? But we always had an agenda and from that point of view, we managed our time real effectively and the guys could come in. We could do what we needed to do. And then we’d get out and get on the road and make some moolah, baby. 

Ange
Yeah, that’s true. The all important agenda, you certainly don’t want to take up time for time’s sake and like literally waffling just about nothing. 

Andy
No. And what we also got the guys to do, because a lot of the time, you know, it goes in one ear and out the other. So we made them sign on glass. So we made them sign off on the form that they were there in attendance and all the meeting notes that we typed up in the office. And we’d gone through in the meeting and then we’d email that to the team by their tablets. So, you know, everyone out there has heard this where you say something to a guy and then they go, you’ve never told me that. Well, we had them sign on glass, emailed to them, and whenever we got that, we just sent that email straight back and go, remember this toolbox meeting we did? We discussed all of this before. 

Ange
Yes. No excuses, right? 

Andy
Exactly. 

Ange
They heard the information and that they were all very well aware. So Andy, you’ve always found toolbox meetings to be beneficial for Dr. Drip because you knew how to do it right, I suppose. I was reading some statistics lately and according to Microsoft’s survey of 31, 000 workers across the globe from earlier this year, it’s apparently inefficient meetings that hurt productivity. What do you think about that? 

Andy
Oh, absolutely spot on. And you know, I know a lot of your trade business owners are listening right now, you try and put some of this stuff in place and you do it for a day, you do it for a week. Maybe two weeks, maybe even a month, but at some stage it’s going to stop and you stop doing it because of whatever reason. And your staff constantly see you starting to implement something, but never ever carrying on with it. Things like these toolbox meetings are set in stone and that’s the way it should be because if you’re running meetings that are long, they’re poorly run. You don’t have a clear directional purpose. They’re more of a source of stress for the teams. What are we trying to get out of this? And it’s definitely not good for your managers and morale overall for the whole team. 

Ange
Yeah, I agree. So let’s get into the shoes of the trade business owners who are listening right now who are perhaps toolbox meeting cynics. Do they actually have a point about meetings in general being a drain? 

Andy
Yeah. In a way I do agree. I mean, the reality is you do lose money from having your team off the road and you’ve got to look into that, you know, but say you have five vehicles off the road for an hour and it takes them half an hour to, um, get to their next job. Well, you’re really losing around about seven and a half hours of billable time. Now, seven and a half hours of billable time at a hundred bucks an hour or 200 bucks an hour, whatever it is, is a shitload of money, right? 

Ange
I would say though, that that needs to actually be considered in your hourly rate calculator so that you’re not losing money whilst you’ve got them with you. And that’s why we actually locked in fortnightly meetings instead of doing it weekly, especially because our guys geographically were just so far away from, kind of where our office was. But for some of you who are listening, even monthly meetings will unify your team and get everyone on the same page in a way that other types of communication truthfully just cannot match.

Andy
Yeah. Listen, tradies, don’t put your head in the sand about this one. It is really important and think of other businesses around the globe, everyone has meetings in work hours. Yeah. Everyone does. And as Ange said, these are some of the things that us tradies. We get so caught up with charging low hourly rates, and we’re not actually putting all this stuff in our hourly rate so we can run a successful trade business. We’re at the race to the bottom and those guys that aren’t charging enough, that’s really hurting and you would, because if you’re there right now and your business isn’t making a lot of money and you’re struggling, why are you going to let you guys have seven and a half hours off? You’re not. But if your business is run like that, it is not set up the right way. And there’s a reason you’re in a hell of a lot of pain. So toolbox meetings do cost the business, but when you weigh it up, I would say we would get tenfold that seven and a half hours we’d get tenfold over the next up and coming weeks, months, years. It was so much better for that little bit of pain, having those seven and a half hours off. That little bit of pain, the reward was so much further on. 

Ange
Yeah, I totally agree with you. I can’t imagine not connecting with your entire team in person to build that trust and loyalty. And in fact, science actually shows that in the right circumstances, meetings actually prompt creative thinking, problem solving, discussion, and a great opportunity for new ideas about the business. You just need to cultivate that environment. 

Andy
Yeah. And if COVID showed us anything, it’s the social connection that everyone was missing. You know, it was a social connection and that’s the fundamental of being a human. So make sure you look after your team and give them that connection because that’s what makes a team.

Ange
Well, I’ll add to that, it’s actually a basic human need. This sense of connection actually sits on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a human. So this theory of human motivation actually has been around since the 40s. So when it comes to a trade business, we are truthfully no different. There’s simply no substitute for meeting face to face.

Andy
And here comes detailed Ange, running down the straight. Should I be shocked? 

Ange
No, not at all. 

Andy
Where the hell did you get that stuff from? Just pulled it out of the bag. 

Ange
You know what, Andy? It’s true. I do love the detail. It’s what makes me tick. 

Andy
Definitely. 

Ange
Yes, but we digress. Let’s get back to these toolbox meetings. So the face to face thing is important. And yes, if you can get the team in one room, and I argue that this is absolutely preferable, but there is still a place for online face to face meetings, like using Zoom.

Andy
That’s a hundred percent true. And distance shouldn’t be an excuse not to have a toolbox meeting with your team. You just need to be savvy with tech. And I’m sure like us that you listeners were using Zoom a lot through COVID as well. I mean, that’s something that we did very well with Dr. Drip, all of our toolbox meetings went through Zoom and it was a great way to still connect with everyone every day, have that personal connection. And I also think or not think I know Zoom’s share price went through the roof, baby. 

Ange
Yeah, I heard that too, actually. So Andy, what happens when a business owner decides that the investment in their regular toolbox meetings is not worth it? Let’s go through some of the negatives. 

Andy
Yeah, straight up. When your team has no clarity, then there’ll be a complete lack of direction, you know, and if you don’t get together, when do you get to speak about the bigger picture of the business as a group and your team needs to hear about the business long term, what your long term goals are, and then they need to see themselves in these growth plans as well. And if you can do that. It’s huge. 

Ange
Yeah, I agree. In a well planned meeting, this is where the magic happens through this connection. Because without this team connection, how can you expect the team to have each other’s back? How can your team feel truly part of something if they just come to work, do what they’re paid for, and go home? You want to build real relationships, not Just transactional ones.

Andy
Yeah. Toolbox meetings are the human connection point in all businesses that we all need. 

Ange
Yeah. And then there’s a lack of opportunity to reflect or collaborate and grow as a business. So in the right environment, you can learn and have fun as a team.

Andy
It’s so true, right. And as the owner, it’s your chance to make your team feel valued and find out what’s really happening for your tradies out in the field and with the customers and where things can be changed or improved. 

Ange
Yeah, agreed. So toolbox meetings provide great intel for you as a business owner. This intel is more likely to be discussed in an environment where information sharing and honest conversations are encouraged. There is so much power in starting a conversation or a discussion with a specific question and go quiet. Let them respond freely. Just let them talk. 

Andy
You mean like drop a bomb and see the fallout happen in front of your eyes.

Ange
Yeah, kind of like that. You’ve just got to give them a chance to, you know, answer your question honestly. 

Andy
Yeah. Well, that’s definitely been my experience. It’s amazing what conversations like this can divulge and the things that can get resolved and the ideas that are generated, there’s a huge buzz in the air.

Ange
Yeah, I totally agree. And then you can turn these into actions. 

Andy
Exactly. 

Ange
So then it’s a good idea to follow the group toolbox meetings with these one on one meetings so that you can tailor conversations if you need them. So Andy, why did you use one on one meetings specifically? 

Andy
Well, maybe you need to address someone individually about their attitude or actions or both. It’s important to get their attention and the best way is to talk in detail about what has perhaps changed, you know, what the impact is on the business and what expectations you have for them within the business. 

Ange
Yeah, that’s a really fair sentence. So if we know that regular toolbox meetings provide your team with clarity and better engagement and connection and the opportunity to reflect, collaborate, and grow, then what are the six hot principles to really nail your toolbox meetings?

Andy
Well, if you already run regular toolbox meetings, This is a chance to have a think about where you may be able to up your game. So if you’re still not convinced, then listen up, let’s take you through all six. 

Ange
Okay, let’s do that. So the first hot principle, number one is to be consistent. 

Andy
Yeah. At Dr. Drip, we’d always meet fortnightly and it was always on a Monday morning at 7 a. m. The barbecue was fired up and they were ready to go as soon as they walked into the warehouse. It was a good time to have a chat about what happened on the weekend and this bonding part was super important and as I mentioned earlier. 

Ange
So, really, as we said, super important, and please don’t underestimate this casual chat. Just don’t let it eat into the meeting time. So, that said, let’s move on to hot principle number two, which is to be prepared. A disorganized meeting isn’t Absolute disaster, believe me. 

Andy
Agree, Ange, and your toolbox meeting should never be free for all. You know, you need the preparation. You’ve got to determine which topics you want to discuss. You need to ask your team if they’d like anything included in the meeting. And maybe you ought to also bring in a supplier to talk about some new products or what’s changed in the industry. And this needs to be arranged and time allocated for all.

Ange
Yeah, fair enough. And decide who is conducting the discussion on each of these topics, because maybe you mix it up based on the subject, maybe you have the leading hand that does the training, like the sales training. Maybe you have the office manager who’s talking about the new marketing you’ve released and how perhaps it’s even affecting the team. It’s important to actually get the right people talking about the right things. 

Andy
So what is important, that you wanna come to a consensus on what needs to be said in each discussion topic and set boundaries on timeframe. 

Ange
Yeah, so in simple terms, know your purpose and be intentional, I’d say. So I guess the question needs to be asked. Do they actually need to bring anything and therefore do you need to tell them beforehand? What we need to do is make sure everyone knows what’s expected of them. 

Andy
And you’ve got to start the meeting on time, guaranteed.

Ange
You’ve always been a stickler for a prompt start time, Andy. 

Andy
Yeah, I definitely have. And it sets the expectation for every meeting that we do what we say we’re going to do and then it’s not about wasting anyone’s time. It’s about being respectful of everyone’s time. Because like I mentioned earlier, the reality is the toolbox meeting is costing the business owner money. You want him in and out as fast as possible.

Ange
Yeah. Fair call. Okay. So let’s move on to hot principle number three, which is to have an agenda and stick to it. 

Andy
Agreed. And we did talk about this earlier. The flow of a meeting should be the same every single time. Inefficiency is a drain on productivity, you’ve got to be tight on time. 

Ange
Yeah. Look, overall, your toolbox meeting should not be any longer than an hour. And you know what? Preferably even shorter. Do what works for your trade business, but whatever it is, you just gotta do it on repeat. 

Andy
And hot principle number four is a big one. This is not the place. I’ll say it again. This is not the place to single out a team member and make it an example of them in front of their peers. It’ll just make you look like a complete dick. You know, making anyone look stupid is just dead set poor leadership in that environment. 

Ange
Tell us what you’re thinking. 

Andy
Oh, yeah, baby. 

Ange
So if you feel like you need to discuss something with a particular team member, then do this formally in this one on one environment, not in a toolbox meeting in front of everyone. Okay. It’s not the time or the place. 

Andy
Moving on to hot principle number five, use the toolbox meeting for individual praise. 

Ange
Nice one. So, toolbox meetings are a great time to share the good news. So, has a team member done something worth mentioning that could be tied into a lesson for others? So, the idea here is to make that particular team member feel amazing in front of their peers.

Andy
That’s right. And perhaps you can even include monthly or quarterly or six monthly awards and any milestones or wins that are worth celebrating. This really does raise the level of energy within your team and build the momentum and morale. 

Ange
Yeah, I agree. So finally, let’s have a look at hot principle number six, which is… Share the leading role. So if you have operational team leaders within your trade business, then you should actually consider letting them run that team meeting. 

Andy
Yeah, this is an important part of being a boss and that’s bringing some of your team leaders up and helping them with their leadership skills because that will potentially help your business grow and also keep team retention.

Ange
Yeah. I couldn’t agree more. Actually, data shows that 77 percent of workers actually want to upskill. 

Andy
Yeah. So I’d probably sit in every second toolbox meeting as a passive listener on purpose. It gave a chance for our leading hand to really step up and our office manager to really step up. And it took a lot of pressure off me as the business owner, if I was away on holidays or not around, that the team felt comfortable in reaching out to the leading hand and also the office manager and getting any questions they have answered.

Ange
Yeah. Well, that’s a typical thing, isn’t it? As a business owner, they like the idea of everyone coming to them, asking them questions. Like they’ve created this monster. I say that respectfully. And then you get to a point that you’re like, why does everybody call me all the time? Like, why aren’t they calling other people? I’ve got a team of 17. Well, this is a great way to actually really implement and introduce these leading hands and office managers as people in this leadership team for you so that they understand that it’s okay to actually ask for help from somebody else. It’s a massive game changer. Well, this was for you. I agree. Yeah, I reckon. 

Andy
We were very strategic around it and, you know, I wanted my team to step up and take more hands on stuff. So it worked really well for us. 

Ange
Yeah, agree. So circling back to the topic, Andy, I have to ask, in your opinion, are toolbox meetings a drain or do they actually drive productivity?

Andy
Hands down. We were doing toolbox meetings for years and years. And the one thing it did was it drove productivity within the team and we made it into a bit of a game and we also had KPIs for all of our staff. And that really Made it a lot of fun and exciting, especially with the guys that were leading and everyone was chasing them down.

Ange
Yeah. Nothing like a good competition, right? So inside Lifestyle Tradie Membership, we’ve actually got meeting agenda templates and schedules. That way no one has to reinvent the wheel. 

Andy
Yeah. If you’d like to know more about our Lifestyle Tradie Membership, Jump on a call with me and let’s talk through what’s going on in your business today. You know what? It’s time to get cracking and work on the right things to start making good profit and getting your life back. Go to lifestyletradie.com.au and we can be having a chat very soon. 

Ange
Yeah. Couldn’t have said it better myself, Andy. So that’s all we’ve got time for today. We trust you got some great gold nuggets from this episode. We’ll be back in your ears next week.

Andy
Hell yeah!

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