The Gateway X meeting guide

Part 1 - the agenda

The map to a 10/10

Run these in order. Steps in green are the ones that most often get skipped and most often decide whether the meeting works.

1

Get present from CLG

Arrive. Take a breath together (try 4x4 breathing) or a one-line check-in, so everyone is actually in the room before we start.

2

Define the 10/10

Say out loud what a 10/10 outcome for this meeting looks like. If we nailed it, what would be true at the end? Name it so we all steer toward the same thing.

"By the end, a 10/10 is..."

3

Prep and pre-read

Spend the first 5 minutes getting aligned: the current reality, and the specific issue or issues we are here to work through. Share any context to pre-read here so nobody is behind.

4

Agenda and timekeeping from CLG

Lay out the agenda as the route to the 10/10, and name a timekeeper. Agree by-when we need a decision, and what time we end. Give a 3-5 minute warning before close.

5

Name the conversation type

Which of the five are we in right now: sharing information, sharing self, making requests, making promises, or making decisions? Naming it keeps us talking about what we are talking about. See the back page.

6

Purpose and decision rights from CLG

If a decision is on the table, name who decides and how before we dig in. The full menu of decision rights is on the back page.

7

Clear agreements

Close the loop with measurable next steps. For each one: who will do what, by when. Vague agreements are broken agreements.

Who / will do what / by when

8

Checkout from CLG

End consciously. Each person picks one: a line check, an emotion, an appreciation, or feedback in the form "this meeting would have been even more effective if..."

Part 2 - the backup

The toolkit behind the map

The why and the deeper tools. Reach for these when a meeting is stuck, tense, or unfocused.

A

The ground rules

Four conditions that make a meeting actually work. When one is missing, that is usually the real problem.

Truth

The truth is being told, without blame or judgment.

High-quality listening

We are listening for feelings and meaning, not just words.

Focus

We are talking about what we are talking about.

Risk

Everyone is taking some kind of risk. Nobody is coasting.

B

The five conversation types

Most confusion in a meeting is two people in different conversations. Name which one you are in. Examples are the kind of things that come up in a fellowship build.

Type	What it is	What it sounds like for you
Sharing information	Passing along facts or status so everyone has the same picture.	Your weekly build metrics; what a customer told you on a call; what came out of a mentor session.
Sharing self	Surfacing how you actually feel or where you personally stand.	"I am stuck and losing steam"; a worry about the co-founder relationship; where your energy really is this week.
Making requests	Asking a specific person for something specific.	Asking a mentor for a warm intro; asking the cohort for pitch feedback; asking GX for a particular resource.
Making promises	Committing to deliver something, on a date.	"I will ship the MVP by Friday"; committing to 20 customer conversations this week.
Making decisions	Choosing a path, using explicit decision rights.	Which market to go after first; whether to pivot; how to split founder equity.

C

Decision rights

Before a decision, name how it gets made. Ambiguity here is where meetings go to die.

Leader decidesBest when a decision is needed very quickly.
Leader decides with inputLeader owns the call after hearing the room.
Subgroup decidesA smaller group is trusted to choose.
Subgroup decides with inputSubgroup chooses after gathering input.
Majority voteEveryone has a voice and a vote.
ConsensusNo one is opposed. Set a fallback choice in case consensus is not reached.
AlignmentEveryone is FOR the decision. Best when you want full buy-in. Set a fallback.

D

The six thinking hats

A way to put on one mode of thinking at a time, so the whole room thinks together instead of arguing past each other.

Hat	Think of	What it does
White	White paper	Data and information. What do we know, and what do we still need to find out?
Red	Fire and warmth	Feelings, intuition, emotion, put forward without needing to justify them.
Yellow	Sunshine	The positive view. Looks for the benefits and what could go right.
Black	A stern judge	Caution and critical judgment. Useful, but easy to overuse.
Green	Rich growth	Creative thinking and new ideas. The generating cap.
Blue	The sky, overview	Process control, thinking about the thinking. Asks for summaries and decisions.

E

Which hats serve which conversation

A starting guide, not a rule: when you know the conversation you are in, these hats tend to move it forward.

Conversation	Hats that serve it
Sharing information	White for the facts, Blue to frame what we know versus what we still need.
Sharing self	Red, so feelings and intuition can be said plainly, no justification required.
Making requests	Blue for a clear ask, White for what is needed to fulfill it.
Making promises	Yellow for what is possible, Black for an honest look at whether the commitment is real.
Making decisions	Green for options, Yellow and Black to weigh upside and downside, Blue to drive to a decision.

This mapping is a Gateway X interpretation, offered as a prompt. The hats belong to whoever the conversation needs.

F

The four kinds of meeting

Different meetings do different jobs. Do not smuggle a strategy debate into a daily check-in.

Meeting	Time	Purpose
Daily check-in	5-10 min	Share the day's schedule and activities.
Weekly leadership	45-90 min	Review the week's activities and metrics, resolve tactical obstacles and issues.
Ad hoc strategy	2-4 hrs	Discuss, analyze, brainstorm and decide on critical issues affecting long-term success.
Quarterly review	1-2 days	Review strategy, competitive landscape, trends, personnel, and team development.