If you had a pound for every meeting you sat through that could have been an email would you be rich enough to quit your job and sail around the world on a private yacht? Maybe not, but you would definitely be able to splash out on an extra shot of espresso to keep you awake during those meetings that follow the same dull format every week or month without fail, seemingly without delivering huge impact. Whilst potentially useful, the routine nature of recurring meetings can become boring and stilted after a while and lose the purpose for which they were originally established, be that collaboration, knowledge sharing or reporting against a headline goal.
“This is known as the corporate ‘Catch Up Trap’.”
The catch up trap is a phenomenon where meetings such as 1-2-1s, departmental monthly get togethers or quarterly all-hands devolve into a routine checklist of binary questions and answers on a set date with a specific group of people…”How many new proposals have you sent out this month?”, “Five”, “What’s your current quota attainment at for the quarter?”, “78%”, “Can our office become pet-friendly?”, “No”.
Key aspects of the catch up trap include:
Regardless of sector or size, every organisation needs to have agreed systems and processes in place to maintain accountability and provide a metric for tracking progress against agreed targets. These are ‘table stakes’ for ensuring clarity of expectation at all levels. Then, in order to take employee experience to the next level and avoid falling prey to the catch up trap, leaders should seek out ways to thoughtfully engineer standout moments to create an environment where employees feel valued, driven, invested in organisational success and committed to positively impacting the bottom line.
The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath categorise these standout moments as moments of Elevation, Insight, Pride or Connection. Each is unique in how it can be harnessed by businesses but all contribute to a content, motivated workforce.
Elevation: Rising Above the Ordinary
In a fast-paced business or those dominated by routine, moments of elevation are opportunities to break free from monotony. This can be as simple as once a month using the time allocated for a weekly sales meeting to deep-dive into one area of focus such as obsessively prioritising which targets to prospect or role-playing closing techniques.
When employees experience these elevated moments, they feel energised, and in a sales environment, they also feel the excitement that accompanies healthy competition. This burst of positivity directly impacts engagement, translating to higher productivity and improved morale. By elevating ordinary moments, organisations demonstrate that they value not just output but also the human experience of work.
Insight: Sparks of Clarity and Realisation
Moments of insight involve breakthroughs that shift perspectives or clarify purpose. In the workplace, leaders can create these moments by encouraging reflection and offering opportunities for growth. Instead of giving employees the answers or making decisions on their behalf, organisations can offer the time and a safe environment for individuals to arrive at ‘A-Ha’ moments in response to specific challenges on their own.
These moments of insight help employees feel more confident in their abilities, while also aligning them more closely with organisational goals. As clarity emerges, productivity naturally increases because employees can focus on meaningful contributions with a heightened sense of accountability for taking the next steps to implement a solution.
Pride: Celebrating Achievement and Recognition
Feeling truly seen and heard is a fundamental factor in human motivation and few things motivate employees more than being recognised for their efforts. Moments of pride come from celebrating individual and team accomplishments, big or small. Whether it’s a formal awards ceremony, a genuine word of thanks during a team meeting, or an unexpected gift recognising hard work, these moments inspire people to continue striving for excellence.
Connection: Fostering Shared Experiences
Moments of connection are about fostering meaningful relationships within teams and across the organisation. Shared experiences—whether it’s tackling a project together, having office birthday rituals or organising a two-day trip to London for the Christmas party – help employees feel like part of something greater than themselves.
Consider creating moments where employees can connect on a deeper level. This might include hosting ‘storytelling’ sessions where team members share personal insights, or designing cross-departmental projects to encourage collaboration. These shared experiences deepen trust and solidarity, which in turn improves teamwork, creativity, and organisational cohesion.
When organisations prioritise creating moments of elevation, insight, pride, and connection, they move beyond transactional relationships with their employees. Instead, they foster a sense of belonging, purpose, and motivation. These moments do more than lift spirits—they have tangible impacts on productivity, engagement, and commercial outcomes.
As we celebrate MCO Performance’s first year in business later this week, we are proud to have driven positive action and inspired clients in a broad range of sectors and industries to do the same. If your organisation needs a shot of adrenaline to get out of the catch up trap and start making meaningful connections that yield commercial results, schedule a call with us and let’s discuss how we can become your strategy execution partner.
Take the next step and complete our 3 minute diagnostic quiz.