Most meetings end with a list, who’s doing what, by when. Sometimes it’s captured neatly in notes other times it’s just spoken out loud and then everyone logs off.
It’s not a bad habit; action items are useful and they create clarity about next steps, but they don’t guarantee alignment.
People can leave a meeting with a clear task and still carry different understandings about what matters most, or why it matters at all. One person might be pushing forward, another might be waiting, and a third might be quietly questioning the direction but unsure if it’s worth mentioning.
Alignment doesn’t take long, but it does take intention. Sometimes it’s as simple as pausing before the meeting ends to ask, “Are we aligned on what we’re trying to accomplish here?” Not just on the tasks, but on the meaning behind them, the direction we’re headed, and the assumptions we’re making.
This kind of pause doesn’t slow things down, it keeps things from drifting apart later.
In teams that do this well, meetings become more than checkpoints, they become a place where shared understanding is built, not just reported on.