The Horrible and Wonderful Aspects of Meetings

Meetings as They Exist Today Are Hugely Inefficient and Unproductive. Employees spend over a quarter of their work time in meetings. Executives spend over half their time in meetings, a figure that has doubled in the last 50 years. Are these meetings worth it? The overwhelming majority of businesspeople consider meetings inefficient and unproductive

Death by Meeting, by Pat Lencioni, Outlines How to Make Meetings More Effective and Efficient. Essentially, here is how I use and supplement his rules:

·      Eliminate unnecessary meetings. Be brutal about whether (1) the meeting is really needed, (2) the people that need to attend, and (3) the matters that will addressed in the meeting. Too often, meetings occur by habit, instead of need. And then they are too often not intentional.

·      Restructure Meetings for Maximum Impact. Regardless of the type of meeting – daily check-ins, weekly tactical meetings, monthly strategic meetings, or quarterly offsite meetings – be clear on the purpose, limit the range of topics, and keep them engaging. Create an agenda that is circulated ahead of time. Make it so people look forward to meetings. If they are dreading them, the odds are overwhelming they are not meeting this test.

·      Make the Meetings Engaging. Allow for and even encourage open debate, while still sticking to that agenda, avoid information overload, and assign a facilitator on the team to guide the meeting.

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