One thing I’ve noticed is that organisations often subconsciously reward attendance more than outcomes. As a manager, when I stopped going to every meeting I was invited to, I got questioned. When I suggested someone from my team attend instead, that was also rejected.
I think meetings have become a psychological crutch for a lot of people. Many seem to exist because people don’t trust that emails will be read, while also wanting to cover themselves.
The most absurd example I experienced was everyone in the office dialling into the same meeting from the same room, wearing headphones. The reasoning was that some people were joining remotely, so we might as well all stay at our desks. Nobody questioned it. I suspect the company was happy because it saved a meeting room. I used to call that particular piece of corporate theatre “silent disco”.
What surprised me in the last couple of companies I worked for was how little “meeting hygiene” existed. No agendas, no notes, no summaries. When my team started writing meeting notes, the reaction was often “I won’t have time to read those”.
I’ve often wondered whether companies should attach a visible cost to meetings. A weekly meeting involving a CEO, CPO, CCO, two VPs and two Heads Ofs ins’t just an hour-long meeting. It’s a significant organisational investment. I suspect we’d all schedule fewer meetings if that cost was more obvious or even linked to a metric.
Yes to the performative attendance. Yes to the focus on being there rather than outcomes. Yes to the lack of hygiene and preparation. Yes to the having a meeting series to discuss a small purchase that costs less than the (salaries in the room)*(time spent in meeting).
In meeting culture heavy orgs an acceptable answer to “what’s the status on this problem” can be “oh we’re having a meeting” or “well we we’re sill having meetings about it” and I think this is weak leadership.
Meetings aren’t the solution they are how we can, in some cases, collaborate towards a solution.
I’m all for a status meeting where actions are tracked, projects are updated, and blockers are surfaced. I’m not a “0-meetings ever” person. But I am a huge stickler for action item discipline, accountability in those meetings, and using them to surface where we’re not making progress so we can fix the issue and get back on track in the right direction.
Lack of meeting notes is wild to me… don’t have time to read it? Well then how do you have time to meet? What an oxymoron. Sounds like your team is leading the way with proper implementation of the right tools.
Say what you will about Elon (and I do, fwiw) he has salient takes on meetings, operational efficiency, and is the first to change a process to ensure the operator can do their job well.
Agreed. Meeting attendance should be as sparse as possible.
This resonated with me.
One thing I’ve noticed is that organisations often subconsciously reward attendance more than outcomes. As a manager, when I stopped going to every meeting I was invited to, I got questioned. When I suggested someone from my team attend instead, that was also rejected.
I think meetings have become a psychological crutch for a lot of people. Many seem to exist because people don’t trust that emails will be read, while also wanting to cover themselves.
The most absurd example I experienced was everyone in the office dialling into the same meeting from the same room, wearing headphones. The reasoning was that some people were joining remotely, so we might as well all stay at our desks. Nobody questioned it. I suspect the company was happy because it saved a meeting room. I used to call that particular piece of corporate theatre “silent disco”.
What surprised me in the last couple of companies I worked for was how little “meeting hygiene” existed. No agendas, no notes, no summaries. When my team started writing meeting notes, the reaction was often “I won’t have time to read those”.
I’ve often wondered whether companies should attach a visible cost to meetings. A weekly meeting involving a CEO, CPO, CCO, two VPs and two Heads Ofs ins’t just an hour-long meeting. It’s a significant organisational investment. I suspect we’d all schedule fewer meetings if that cost was more obvious or even linked to a metric.
You’re speaking my language hard core, AKB!
Yes to the performative attendance. Yes to the focus on being there rather than outcomes. Yes to the lack of hygiene and preparation. Yes to the having a meeting series to discuss a small purchase that costs less than the (salaries in the room)*(time spent in meeting).
In meeting culture heavy orgs an acceptable answer to “what’s the status on this problem” can be “oh we’re having a meeting” or “well we we’re sill having meetings about it” and I think this is weak leadership.
Meetings aren’t the solution they are how we can, in some cases, collaborate towards a solution.
I’m all for a status meeting where actions are tracked, projects are updated, and blockers are surfaced. I’m not a “0-meetings ever” person. But I am a huge stickler for action item discipline, accountability in those meetings, and using them to surface where we’re not making progress so we can fix the issue and get back on track in the right direction.
Lack of meeting notes is wild to me… don’t have time to read it? Well then how do you have time to meet? What an oxymoron. Sounds like your team is leading the way with proper implementation of the right tools.
I like Elon’s take on meetings, only go if you can a) add value, or b) get value, by attending. Otherwise you have a responsibility, not to go!!
Say what you will about Elon (and I do, fwiw) he has salient takes on meetings, operational efficiency, and is the first to change a process to ensure the operator can do their job well.
Agreed. Meeting attendance should be as sparse as possible.