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Meetings Are The Worst
Justin Mecham
April 15, 2024
In partnership with
Hey Full Potential Zoners!
Meetings are seriously the worst.
BUT.
When done correctly they can be very powerful.
First, a BIG thanks to this week’s sponsor:
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Meetings should ignite action, not stall progress.
Yet, 71% report meetings are a waste of their time.
(University of North Carolina)
That’s hours of innovation and collaboration lost.
Every.
Single.
Week.
But there's a better way.
Today we are going to learn how the World's Best maximize every minute of meetings.
Let’s dive in!
Steve Jobs: The Focus Formula
What it is: Zero in on critical topics with key decision-makers.
Why it is important: It cuts through noise, ensuring meetings drive real outcomes.
Actionable step: Define the purpose and desired outcome before every meeting.
Sheryl Sandberg: Agenda Precision
What it is: A strict, time-bound agenda managed by a timekeeper.
Why it is important: Keeps meetings concise and on-topic, maximizing productivity.
Actionable step: Craft and circulate a detailed agenda with allocated times beforehand.
Tim Cook: Progress Protocol
What it is: Regular, disciplined progress checks with concise reporting.
Why it is important: Maintains momentum and keeps teams aligned and accountable.
Actionable step: Implement a routine of brief status updates in every team huddle.
Jeff Bezos: Two-Pizza Rule, Silent Start, No Slide Shows
Two-Pizza Rule
What it is: Small meeting sizes for effective group engagement.
Why it is important: Encourages meaningful participation and quicker consensus.
Actionable step: Limit meeting invites to essential personnel only.
Silent Start
What it is: Quiet time for review at the meeting's start.
Why it is important: Ensures everyone is informed and ready to engage.
Actionable step: Begin meetings with time for everyone to get caught up for the meeting.
No Slide Shows
What it is: Detailed memos replace slide presentations.
Why it is important: Encourages thorough understanding and deep discussion.
Actionable step: Opt for comprehensive written briefs over slides.
Indra Nooyi: The Prep Mandate
What it is: Clear task assignments and preparedness checks.
Why it is important: Ensures meetings are a venue for decision-making, not catching up.
Actionable step: Assign pre-reads and start with a readiness confirmation.
Elon Musk: The Essentialist’s Attendance
What it is: Staying in meetings only when contributing.
Why it is important: Respects everyone’s time and boosts meeting effectiveness.
Actionable step: Empower team members to leave if they’re not engaged.
Oprah Winfrey: Readiness Review
What it is: Early material distribution and readiness checks at the start.
Why it is important: Keeps meetings focused on action and decisions.
Actionable step: Distribute prep material in advance and begin with a readiness poll.
Focused and Brief Meetings
In my consulting work, a tech startup I was working with found their project meetings sprawling into two-hour marathons.
They were tackling complex issues, yes, but the team often left feeling more confused and drained than when they started.
Every week, they’d gather around, and by the 30-minute mark, focus would wane.
As the second hour ticked by, vital decisions were rushed or not made at all.
Team members were overwhelmed, key points were buried in tangents, and the actual work was being sidelined by the meetings meant to push it forward.
I introduced them to the concept of Focused and Brief Meetings.
We began by clearly defining the objective of each meeting.
"What’s the one thing we need to resolve today?" became our starting point.
We trimmed the attendee list to only those directly involved in that "one thing."
Each meeting was capped at 20 minutes – any unresolved issues would be taken offline or rolled into the next focused session.
To enforce this, we used a timer, visible to all.
When it buzzed, we wrapped up, summarizing decisions made and actions needed.
Within 2 weeks, the change was incredible.
Meetings became energetic sprints rather than exhaustive marathons.
The team regained hours of their week, which were now spent on actual productive work.
Morale increased as they saw more tasks moving to the 'done' column.
By meeting less but with more focus, we didn’t just talk about work - we completed it.
Here's how you can make it real over the next 4 days:
Day 1: Objective Clarity
Identify the single most important objective for your next meeting.
Write it down in one clear, compelling sentence and share it with all attendees beforehand.
ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "I have an important meeting coming up. Help me condense my meeting's main goal into one clear and impactful sentence. Here is the main goal for the meeting [insert main meeting goal here].”
Day 2: Agenda Assessment
For the same meeting, craft a precise agenda.
Assign a strict time limit for each point and determine who is responsible for leading each part.
ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "I need to create a tight agenda for my next meeting that focuses on [insert meeting topic and goal]. Suggest a format and time allocation for each agenda item if we have 30 minutes in total."
Day 3: Role and Rule Reinforcement
Review the list of attendees.
Confirm that each person knows their role and why they're essential to the meeting's objective.
Decide on a rule that ensures brevity and relevance—like a two-minute limit for individual contributions.
ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "For a meeting with multiple stakeholders, help me define clear roles for each participant and propose a rule to keep contributions concise and relevant given the agenda format you just gave me."
Day 4: Actionable Follow-up
After the meeting, immediately send out a concise summary of what was discussed, decisions made, and the next steps.
Assign clear actions to specific individuals, including deadlines.
ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "I just finished the meeting, I need to write a follow-up email summarizing the decisions and assigning tasks. Here are the decisions and tasks from the meeting [insert decision and tasks from the meeting]. Help me draft a summary and action items email."
The power of a meeting isn't in the hours it occupies,
But in the moments it creates.
Every meeting can be a small but mighty victory in building a culture that values clarity, action, and respect for each individual's time and contributions.
Until next week and with lots of love,
Justin
This Week’s Growth Recommendations
Book To Read:
"How to fix meetings" by Graham Allcott and Hayley Watts
TED Talk to Watch
"The Power of You to Truly Make Meetings Work” by Steven Rogelberg
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