1. Objective
This SOP governs the complete meeting lifecycle — with special focus on what happens after a meeting ends. Follow-through is the single biggest operational failure in solo businesses: commitments are made in conversation and forgotten because no one tracked them. When you own follow-through, your executive becomes someone who always follows through — which directly builds the trust and reliability their business depends on.
Where this SOP starts: 24 hours before a meeting (pre-meeting prep) and continues through meeting follow-up, action item tracking, and the next scheduled touch point.
Where this SOP ends: When all commitments from the meeting are completed or confirmed.Success looks like: Your executive never has to think "did I follow up on that?" because you have. No commitment made in conversation disappears. The people your executive works with reliably receive what was promised, when it was promised. Your executive's reputation for follow-through is stronger than any competitor's.
2. Your Role & Boundaries
2a. What you handle independently
- Preparing meeting briefs 24 hours before external meetings
- Sending pre-meeting confirmations to external parties
- Capturing action items from meetings you attend or receive notes from
- Completing follow-up actions that are within your scope (sending documents, scheduling next steps, etc.)
- Tracking commitments your executive made and sending follow-ups on their behalf when due
- Sending post-meeting follow-up summaries when appropriate
2b. What requires executive approval before acting
- Sending a follow-up that makes a new commitment on your executive's behalf
- Scheduling any follow-up meeting or call before confirming your executive's availability
- Any follow-up communication with a client involving a complaint or sensitive matter
- Reaching out to a contact about an overdue commitment before your executive has had a chance to address it
2c. What you never do
- You never wait for your executive to ask you to follow up — you track it and act proactively
- You never send a follow-up summary that includes information the recipient wasn't supposed to have
- You never close out an action item in your tracking system without confirming it was actually completed
- You never let a commitment from a call fall through because "they'll remember it"
3. Pre-Meeting Protocol
48 hours before the meeting:
- Confirm the meeting with all external parties: send a brief reminder with the dial-in details
- Verify the calendar invitation has all required details (who, why, link, prep note)
24 hours before the meeting:
Prepare a meeting brief for your executive. A meeting brief is a one-page or less summary covering:
- Who they're meeting with: Name, role, company, and 2–3 sentence background note
- Purpose of the meeting: What is the goal or agenda?
- Decisions or questions to address: What does your executive need to resolve in this meeting?
- Relevant documents or background: Anything they should review before joining
- Prior meeting notes (if this is a recurring or existing relationship): What was discussed last time? Any open items?
Deliver the brief 24 hours before. Surface it in your check-in or as a separate message:
"Meeting brief for your Thursday 10 AM call with [Name] — attached. One thing to note: the renewal came up in our last call and may come up again."
Morning of the meeting:
- Confirm all logistics are in place
- Verify the conference link is working
- Flag in your morning check-in if prep materials haven't been reviewed
4. Action Item Capture
For meetings you attend directly:
- Take organized notes — not a transcript, but key discussion points, decisions made, and action items
- Listen specifically for commitments: "I'll send you that by Friday," "We'll schedule a follow-up," "I'll introduce you to..."
- Write down every commitment with: who is responsible, what they committed to, and by when
- Do not speak during the meeting unless directly asked
For meetings you don't attend:
- Ask your executive for a brief debrief immediately after — "Any action items from that call I should track?"
- Review any meeting notes, recordings, or transcripts (Otter.ai, Fathom) if available
- Add all commitments to your tracking system before the end of that day
5. Post-Meeting Follow-Up Protocol
Within 24 hours of any external meeting:
Step 1: Send a follow-up summary (when appropriate — confirm with your executive which meeting types warrant this)
Subject: Notes from our call — [Date]
Hi [Name],
Thank you for the time today. Here's a quick summary of what we discussed and the next steps we agreed on:
**Key discussion points:**
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]
**Next steps:**
- [Your executive's action] — by [date]
- [Their action] — by [date]
Please let me know if I've missed anything or if you'd like to adjust anything on the list.
[Your Name]
On behalf of [Executive Name]
Step 2: Add all action items to your tracking system
Every commitment your executive made gets a task with a due date. Every commitment the other party made gets a follow-up flag.
Step 3: Schedule the next touch point
If a follow-up meeting was discussed, schedule it immediately while everyone is fresh. Don't wait for the other party to follow up.
6. Commitment Tracking System
Maintain an active follow-up tracker — this can be a shared spreadsheet, a project management tool, or a dedicated section in your task manager.
Minimum fields per commitment:
| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| Source | Meeting name or date |
| Commitment | What was promised |
| Responsible party | Your executive or the other party |
| Due date | When it's expected |
| Status | Pending / In Progress / Completed / Overdue |
| Follow-up date | When to send a follow-up if no response |
Review the tracker:
- Daily: check for anything due today
- Weekly (as part of weekly review): check for anything overdue, any follow-ups needed, any commitments to confirm
7. Follow-Up Without Being Asked
You own follow-up. Do not wait for your executive to remind you.
If your executive's commitment is approaching its due date:
"Heads up — you committed to sending [item] to [Name] by [date]. Would you like me to draft/send it, or do you have it handled?"
If the other party's commitment is overdue:
Draft a follow-up email and bring it:
"No response yet from [Name] on [commitment]. Here's a draft follow-up — want me to send?"
Template for following up on behalf of your executive:
Subject: Following up — [brief reference]
Hi [Name],
Just following up on our conversation from [date]. I wanted to make sure this didn't slip through the cracks on our end.
[Brief, specific reference to the commitment or next step]
Please let me know where things stand on your end — happy to help move this forward.
[Your Name]
On behalf of [Executive Name]
8. Weekly Meeting Prep Routine
Every Friday afternoon or Monday morning, prepare for the upcoming week's meetings:
- Pull up the full week's calendar
- For each external meeting, create or confirm a meeting brief: who, why, what's needed
- Flag any meetings where prep materials are needed and pull them
- Check which meetings need a confirmation sent
- Review the commitment tracker — any follow-ups due this week?
Deliver this in whatever format your executive prefers.
9. Escalation Protocol
Escalate when:
- A commitment is significantly overdue and you're unsure whether to follow up or let your executive address it personally
- A follow-up reveals a problem that your executive needs to address directly
- A meeting requires prep that you don't have the materials or authority to prepare
Escalation format:
Follow-up flag — need your input:
[Executive] committed to [item] for [Name] on [date]. Due date was [date] — [X] days ago.
Shall I send a follow-up on your behalf, or would you prefer to handle this directly?
Proposed follow-up: [draft or brief description]
10. Tools & Access
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| [Task manager or spreadsheet] | Action item and follow-up tracking |
| [Calendar platform] | Meeting prep and scheduling |
| [Email platform] | Post-meeting follow-up communications |
| [Otter.ai / Fathom — optional] | Automatic meeting notes and action item capture |
11. Changelog
| Date | Notes |
|---|---|
| April 2026 | Initial release |