A LOOK AT GENERAL POLICY #3

By Carrie Dorhout

“Success is simple. Do what’s right, at the right time.”

- Arnold H Glasgow

General Policy #3 states: The weekly meeting lasts 90 minutes. Members need to arrive on time and stay for the entire meeting. Like many of our policies, the Meeting Agenda was brilliantly designed by Ivan Misner and has changed very little in the last 30 years. To know that they haven’t been changed or altered in that much time surely proves that they were designed well and have not only stood the test of time, but have been used for hundreds of chapters all over the world.

One of my favorite parts of the chapter meeting is the first 15 minutes of the meeting: Open Networking. The value Ivan found in members networking with each other on a weekly basis was so vital, he made it part of the 90 minute meeting agenda – and put it first. BNI excels at teaching us how to network. He also profoundly understood how those 15 minutes impacted the credibility of members with each other. During those 15 minutes, we have the opportunity to build trust with fellow members many ways. By showing up at our weekly meetings at the beginning of open networking, we prove that we value not only our time, but other members’ time as well. We confirm to our members that we are committed to our chapter and respect that other members have made the same commitment. We ensure that our members understand that we value that time to support their business by being available to interact, follow-up, enhance our communication and face-time and most importantly make a statement that how we handle our commitment to our chapter is the same commitment we have to the referrals we receive from them.

BNI meetings begin with Open Networking for a purpose. It is part of the meeting agenda by design, for a reason. Take every opportunity to make the most of your membership, make the most of every moment you have with the group of people who have committed to support and help build your business. That 90 minutes of your week could be the most valuable 90 minutes to your business if you let it. Happy Networking!