Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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You’ve seen it happen in a meeting before: One person expresses an opinion, two others respond to that comment, someone else subtly segues to another topic, and everyone starts weighing in on that new issue. Even if it’s all related to the agenda, a team loses momentum when people start down multiple conversational tracks without reaching a conclusion.

o Stay focused with this simple rule: If you raise it, you land it.

o When you bring up an issue or ask a question, take responsibility for making sure that the issue is resolved before the team shifts to something else. That often means hearing from everyone in the meeting, even if only to find out whether they agree with what you’re proposing.

o For example, if you say, “Given our discussion, I think we shouldn’t adjust our plan until we see the financials from the first quarter,” follow it by asking, “Is there anyone who has any concerns about doing that?”

This Tip is adapted from “5 Ways Meetings Get Off Track, and How to Prevent Each One,” by Roger Schwarz

To check out that HBR article and join the discussion, please click here.

Also, you may wish to check out an anthology, Management Tips from Harvard Business Review, by clicking here.