The Guesthouse Practice

Facilitator Guide: Running Effective Monday Meetings

Your Role as Facilitator

You're not here to evaluate or approve entries. You're here to keep the conversation moving, draw out insights, and help the team learn from each other's discoveries.

Your three jobs:

Meeting Structure (60 Minutes)

0-5 Minutes: Opening
Set context and remind everyone what we're doing here
"Good morning. Let's spend the next hour learning from each other's week and coordinating our work. Remember: we're not reporting activities, we're sharing what moved forward, what we learned, and what coordination we need. Who wants to start?"
5-45 Minutes: Individual Shares (6-7 min each)
Each person shares their four elements: Victory, Signals, Courageous Action, and Coordination Needs. Your job: listen, clarify, connect.

After each person shares, ask 1-2 of these questions:

45-60 Minutes: Connections & Coordination
Look for patterns, schedule meetings, and set next week's focus
"I heard three themes today: [name them]. Let's handle the coordination needs: [review who needs to meet with whom and schedule on the spot]. Next week, let's pay attention to [specific focus]. Any commitments for next Monday?"

Pre-Meeting Checklist

Send reminder Friday afternoon: "Prepare your entry this weekend - takes 10 minutes"
Review last week's entries to spot patterns or themes
Prepare your own entry (you go first or last to set the tone)
Check who might be struggling with their metrics—plan to ask encouraging questions
Identify 2-3 possible connections between different team members' work

Handling Common Situations

Scenario 1: Someone Only Reports Activities

"I sent 50 emails, had 12 meetings, and updated the database."

Your response: "Those are activities. What outcome did those activities create? What moved forward?"
Scenario 2: Someone's Numbers Dropped

"Guest satisfaction fell to 8.1 this week. It was a tough week."

Your response: "Thanks for the honesty. What do you think caused the drop? What's one thing you'll test differently next week?"
Scenario 3: Someone Didn't Prepare

"Sorry, I didn't have time to write anything this week."

Your response: "No problem. Take two minutes right now: What's one thing that worked this week, and what's one number you're tracking?"
Scenario 4: Someone Goes Off on a Tangent

"So then I talked to this contractor, and he suggested we could also renovate the..."

Your response: "Hold that thought—sounds like a conversation for after the meeting. For now, what was your courageous action this week?"
Scenario 5: Dead Silence After Someone Shares

[Awkward silence]

Your response: "I'm curious about [specific detail they mentioned]. How did you figure that out?" or "Who else is working on something similar?"
Scenario 6: Someone Shares a Genuine Struggle

"I'm honestly not sure what I'm doing. Nothing seems to be working."

Your response: "Thanks for sharing that honestly. What's one small thing you could test this week? Who here might have faced something similar?"
Scenario 7: Someone Has Multiple Coordination Needs

"I need to meet with Doug, Quinten, Colette, and the whole team about three different things..."

Your response: "Let's prioritize. Which one is blocking your work right now? Let's schedule that first, and we can handle the others in the final 15 minutes."

Questions to Ask During Shares

For Empathy (Victory)

For Grace (Signals)

For Courage (Action)

For Coordination Needs

What Good Looks Like Over Time

Weeks 1-4: Awkward but Building

People are still figuring out what to share. Entries might be too long or too vague. Some people won't prepare. This is normal. Your job is to keep showing up consistently.

What to do: Thank people for sharing, even if it's rough. Ask clarifying questions. Model good entries yourself.

Weeks 5-8: Finding the Rhythm

People start seeing patterns in their work. Entries get more focused. Real insights start emerging. The team begins building on each other's ideas.

What to do: Point out connections between different people's discoveries. Start asking "How does that principle apply elsewhere?"

Weeks 9+: Mastery Building

The team knows what to look for in their work. Monday meetings become the most valuable hour of the week. Decisions get better because everyone's learning from the whole system.

What to do: Get out of the way. Let the team drive the conversation. Capture the big themes and turn them into systems.

What This Practice Creates

After 6 Months

Red Flags to Watch For

People stop preparing: The practice only works if everyone does the 10-minute prep. If preparation drops off, the meetings become status reports instead of learning sessions.

Conversations stay surface-level: If people only share wins without digging into what made them work, you're missing the learning opportunity. Ask better questions.

No one mentions failures: If every entry is positive, people aren't being honest. Share your own struggles to create permission for honesty.

Same person dominates every week: Everyone should share equally. If someone consistently takes up more time, gently redirect: "Let's make sure everyone gets their full time."

Meetings run long: If you consistently go over 60 minutes, you're letting tangents derail the structure. Be more disciplined about time boxing.

Your Weekly Preparation

Friday afternoon (10 minutes):

Sunday evening (15 minutes):

Monday morning (5 minutes before meeting):

Remember
This practice works because it's consistent, not because it's perfect. Show up every Monday. Ask good questions. Trust that insights will emerge.