Meeting Mojo: Conquering Chaos with Highlight and Help
If your staff meetings have a way of spiraling — everyone goes around the room recapping their week, someone starts venting, and suddenly the whole team has remembered how miserable Tuesday was — this short-and-sweet episode is for you. Vonda and Lori share a simple two-question meeting format they just tested with their own team, and it changed the whole energy of the room.
The curse of knowledge (and the courage of new owners)
The episode opens with Vonda reflecting on an evening call with a florist who's fairly new to the industry — a family that bought an existing, successful flower shop with no prior flower experience. Talking with newcomers, she says, is a healthy reset: things that feel simple after decades in the business are genuinely complicated to someone walking in fresh. It's the "curse of knowledge," and stepping back to see the industry through a beginner's eyes is refreshing.
The hosts marvel at anyone who buys a flower shop without floral experience — Lori compares it to buying a restaurant with no food background, and Vonda notes the comparison is apt: both live and die by perishable inventory, where you can lose a lot of money fast. Vonda's hunch is that buying an established business improves your odds over a startup, especially if the previous owner sticks around as a mentor. Which leads to her segue: a successful business has everything to do with communication within your team.
What "Highlight and Help" looks like
Lori picked up the idea from an HR expert she follows on TikTok who teaches efficient meeting strategies. Instead of opening your staff meeting with "let's go around the room — what did you do this week?" (cue the brain fog and the complaint spiral), you ask each person just two things:
Your highlight — something positive from the week: something you're proud of, something the team pulled off together, something you're grateful for. As Lori puts it, if you can't find one thing to be grateful for in your week, it might be time to polish the resume.
Your help — what do you need help with? It can be personal, but it often surfaces bigger things: what a department needs, what members or customers are saying, what the company could do better internally.
The Flower Clique team tried it at their monthly all-staff meeting — rolled out spontaneously, thanks to Ellie's "let's just do it" — and the difference was immediate. The team problem-solved together in real time, and part-time staff who normally wouldn't be part of those conversations contributed and felt genuinely included. Unlike similar exercises ("peak and pit," "rose and thorn"), this one has total clarity: you know exactly what to share, and there's no gray area.
Lori also paints the flower shop scenario: a designer says out loud "I need help with…" — and maybe a timid front-of-house person who's secretly wanted to learn design finally finds the courage to say, "I'd like to try to help you." You never know what a little structured openness unlocks.
What about the employee who won't talk?
Vonda plays devil's advocate: what if you have a small staff, and someone just wants to do their work, collect their paycheck, and go home? Lori's answers:
Prepare them. Don't spring it on people last-minute. Tell the team a week ahead: "We're trying something new — be thinking about your highlight and your help." Even reluctant sharers can arrive with something, even if it's "free pizza" and "I don't need help."
Accept what they give, and move on. "Thank you for sharing" — that's it. Don't poke, prod, or let their energy set the room's tone, because everyone is watching how you respond. As Lori told an audience member at Next Gen: you can't change people; you can only change how you react. Model the leader you wish you had.
Have a highlight in their pocket. If you suspect someone will show up empty-handed, watch for a moment during the week and offer it lightheartedly: "I did see you crack a smile when the pizza arrived — can we call that a highlight?"
Given time and consistency, that employee will either come around — or self-select out. Either way, Vonda and Lori agree, it's a win.
Key takeaways
- Replace "what did you do this week?" with two questions: what's your highlight, and what do you need help with?
- The "help" question turns meetings into team problem-solving and makes quieter staff feel included.
- Announce the new format ahead of time so everyone — especially reluctant sharers — can prepare.
- Don't react to low-effort answers; thank them and move on. Consistency is key.
- The format works for five-minute check-ins too — perfect for the run-up to Easter, prom, and Mother's Day.