What's worse than meetings? - TD#125

No meetings. So you better step up your collaboration game.

There is only one thing that’s worse than meetings: no meetings.

Work meetings often take up the most time and resources in your daily routine. But if you remove meetings, that time would be spent looking for proper alignment.

You might be tempted to ban all meetings at once. But you know what? It doesn’t work that way. People will start holding meetings anyway, but they’ll call them with different names.

Alignments, retrospectives, standups, etc.

Instead of following policies that can't be sustained, addressing the problems that prevent effective discussions when people meet and converse is better.

Here are three things you should avoid in your next meetings:

Don’t run fake meetings

We can effectively transform most of what we label as "meetings" into other options.

Is it just one person speaking while everyone else is expected to listen? - Record a video presentation.

Did you waste two hours on status updates? - Build an async written discipline.

Do you force meetings so “we all see each other in person”? Instead, go to a social gathering. Lunch or dinner would do.

No agenda, no meeting

Every meeting should have an agenda shared upfront so that people can prepare.

Agenda items should be organized into four categories: things to review, news, things to discuss, and decisions.

Don’t allow improvised topics, and stop being driven by urgency. Prioritize properly.

No follow-up actions, no meeting

If a meeting does not end with a list of follow-up actions, each one assigned to a DRI (Directly Responsible Individual), your meeting should not happen.

You can use meetings to get everyone on the same page about work. However, work must come after. Only a list built in such a manner can fulfill this duty.

Try avoiding these now, and you'll thank me later.

Additional Resources

Reaching Peak Meeting Efficiency

Throughout my career, I have experienced a variety of unsuccessful meetings, whether in a leadership position or as a participant. I have attempted to improve these gatherings, yet they have often ended in frustration.

Check out this article on the importance of meetings in achieving results, even when conflicting opinions exist, and why meetings can often derail.

How to Make Meetings Shorter

As the meeting scheduler, it is recommended to avoid scheduling one-hour or 45-minute meetings unless they are essential or involve multiple teams providing updates. Consider if the objectives can be achieved in 30 minutes or even 15 minutes. It is important to be mindful of the time allocated in the calendar.

You can become an office hero by assisting your colleagues in reclaiming their time. Be mindful and ensure that lengthy, inefficient meetings do not become the standard.

Check out this article on holding shorter meetings.

When Meetings Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Hold Meetings

The decision by Shopify to forgo meetings across their organization raises questions about the efficacy of such a policy. It is an issue worth considering. Read more here.