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Meetings are supposed to move things forward.

Too often, they just move in circles.

You leave with more questions than answers.
The next steps are vague, the energy’s off, and no one’s quite sure what just happened.

Here’s the truth: clarity isn’t a lucky outcome of a good meeting, it’s the point of the meeting.

Every conversation either fuels clarity or drains it. There is no neutral ground.

At Russo Leadership, we treat clarity as a leadership discipline, not a personality trait or communication style. And one of the fastest ways to build that discipline into your meetings is by using a tool called The Six Types of Working Genius.

This model helps you identify what kind of work you're actually doing, and who’s best equipped to do it. When you pair that with structure and intentionality, your meetings stop spinning. They start working.

Here’s how.

1. Start With Purpose, Not Just a Calendar Invite

Before the first word is spoken, ask:

“What are we actually here to do?”

That simple question changes everything.

Are you brainstorming possibilities?
Deciding between options?
Driving execution?

Each purpose invites a different kind of thinking, and requires different kinds of people in the room.

This is where The Working Genius model becomes a filter, not just a framework. It breaks work into three stages:

• Think It (Ideation): Wonder + Invention — exploring what could be
• Choose It (Activation): Discernment + Galvanizing — deciding what should be
• Do It (Implementation): Enablement + Tenacity — making it happen

When you know what stage your meeting is in, you can:

• Design a better agenda
• Avoid bringing people into conversations that don’t need them
• Set clearer expectations for the kind of input you’re looking for

That’s how you stop dragging your team through vague, multi-purpose meetings that leave everyone drained.

2. Use an Agenda as a Boundary, Not Bureaucracy

Most meetings don’t derail because people don’t care.
They derail because no one defined the lane.

A good agenda isn’t a formality. It’s a clarity contract.

It should tell people:

• Where we’re headed
• Who’s leading what
• How we’ll know when we’ve arrived

Send it in advance. Stick to it. And when the conversation drifts (it will), use it as your anchor.

If you’ve identified your team’s Working Geniuses, use that insight to assign meeting roles:

• Someone with Galvanizing might drive the discussion and rally focus
• Someone with Tenacity can track time and keep things on task
• Someone with Discernment can pressure-test ideas in real time

When people operate from their genius zones, you get tighter focus, better outcomes, and fewer meetings that feel like marathons.

3. End With Ownership, Action, and a Shared Definition of “Done”

Clarity doesn’t end when the conversation does.
It ends when everyone walks away knowing what happens next.

Before you close the meeting, take five intentional minutes to:

• Summarize the decisions made
• Assign next steps
• Define what “done” actually looks like

Don’t assume alignment. Say it out loud. Write it down. Share it after.

This is where Enablement and Tenacity shine. These are your closers, the ones who help turn talk into traction.

Ask these three grounding questions before you let anyone leave:

1. Who owns what?
2. What does success look like?
3. Who needs support and from whom?

That five-minute check-out is the difference between “great conversation” and actual progress.

Bring It All Together

Meetings shouldn’t feel like mental quicksand.

They can be the clearest reflection of how your team thinks, collaborates, and leads under pressure.

When you:

• Align meetings to the stage of work you’re in
• Use the Working Genius model to invite the right people
• Close with explicit ownership and defined outcomes

—you transform meetings from time-wasters into clarity engines.

Because in high-performing teams, clarity isn’t luck.

It’s leadership. In action.

Want to Bring Working Genius to Your Team?

If the Working Genius framework sparked something for you, imagine what it could unlock across your team.

We help leaders use it to:

• Clarify roles
• Reduce friction
• Improve accountability
• And finally stop the cycle of mismatched expectations

Whether you’re already familiar or just getting curious, we’ll show you how to turn self-awareness into real-world traction.

Learn more about our Working Genius programs here.