Meetings Suck

“Time is money” – especially when meetings are inefficient, draining resources and frustrating employees. This book provides tools to make meetings productive and valuable.

1. Wasting time in meetings wastes money

Companies often spend significant amounts on ineffective meetings without realizing it. Meetings consume not just time but also money, because employees’ productive hours directly translate to revenue. For example, the hourly wage of every participant, multiplied by the length of the meeting, can add up significantly.

Starting meetings on time is one way to limit waste. Employees should understand that being on time means being ready to contribute five minutes early. Without this clarity, late attendees hinder progress, much like a sprinter arriving at the start line after the race begins.

By offering employees a chance to opt out of unnecessary meetings, companies can save more time. Sharing a detailed agenda in advance allows individuals to decide whether their input and presence are truly required.

Examples

• A company calculated its yearly meeting-related expenses at $25,000 in lost revenue.
• Employees arriving late caused delays, increasing overall time spent unproductively.
• Sharing agendas in advance reduced attendance in irrelevant meetings, streamlining discussions.

2. Regular team meetings build morale

Meetings don’t always need to be serious; sometimes, they’re a platform to boost spirits. Mid-day dips at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. make great slots for morale-boosting gatherings. Recognizing employees’ contributions during these times adds energy to their workday.

Daily huddles, lasting only seven minutes, can bring the entire team together to maintain enthusiasm. Sharing accomplishments, addressing concerns, or forecasting goals keeps everyone aligned and motivated. Ending with a cheer, simple as it sounds, can galvanize team camaraderie.

For larger companies, shorter, team-based three-minute adrenaline meetings are a great alternative. They ensure an energetic start to the day and provide employees with an understanding of how their efforts tie into the bigger picture.

Examples

• A retail team had a 7-minute morning huddle to review sales goals and recognize achievements.
• At a tech firm, a 3-minute daily team check-in motivated engineers by associating their tasks with quarterly objectives.
• A group cheer at a financial firm increased camaraderie and productivity among departments.

3. Meetings can develop employees’ skills

Far from being distractions, meetings are opportunities for employees to take on different roles and build skills. Assigning roles like moderator, time-keeper, or closer fosters abilities outside regular work tasks.

The moderator ensures discussions stay on track, a task that benefits junior staffers by developing their leadership confidence. The time-keeper keeps things punctual, perfect for anyone needing to enhance their organizational skills. Closers, who summarize conclusions, build critical listening and note-taking abilities.

Rotating these roles among staff keeps things dynamic and encourages growth. For example, allowing a customer service representative to practice moderation builds communication and leadership skills outside their usual duties.

Examples

• A junior staffer moderated a discussion, boosting confidence in managing senior colleagues.
• A time-keeper streamlined meetings, finishing 15 minutes faster than previous attempts.
• Closers effectively documented decisions, improving task adherence across departments.

4. Flip traditional roles to strengthen teams

Traditional hierarchies often place leadership in charge of meetings. However, distributing these responsibilities can unlock new strengths within teams. Allowing lower-level employees to lead conversations ensures voices from various perspectives are heard.

Shy employees, when encouraged to moderate, often grow more comfortable expressing ideas. Assigning leadership tasks creates confidence and helps quieter team members feel valued. On the flipside, assigning dominant personalities supportive roles like note-taking or listening encourages task alignment and collaboration.

By revising meeting roles, companies can help transform bossy employees into active listeners and elevate quieter ones into essential contributors.

Examples

• A reserved software developer blossomed by moderating a technical meeting.
• Dominant personalities grew into better listeners when tasked with note-taking.
• A customer service rep discovered leadership capabilities by representing their team’s ideas.

5. Align teams on goals through communication

Clear communication ensures teams work cohesively toward shared goals. Meetings keep everyone informed, help reinforce accountability, and allow departments to align efforts through progress reviews like quarterly and weekly check-ins.

Quarterly business meetings let department heads share metrics to analyze progress on broader company objectives. Weekly meetings, often 60–90 minutes long, address specific action steps. These provide a space for identifying challenges and brainstorming solutions, ensuring accountability across teams.

Additionally, one-on-one meetings between team leaders and staff foster support. Individual progress conversations help address roadblocks and reassure employees their efforts aren’t overlooked.

Examples

• A marketing department aligned campaigns after discussing quarterly targets.
• Issues like delayed timelines were flagged early during regular weekly assessments.
• Weekly one-on-ones saw junior staff solve issues uninhibited by group discussions.

6. Foster vision with leadership retreats

Leadership team retreats provide an escape from the office environment, creating room for innovative thinking. These purposeful breaks help leaders create long-term strategies, like plotting a vivid three-year company vision.

Starting with blue sky brainstorming, leaders identify their future organization down to details like workplace culture and customer demographics. Following this, they reverse-engineer quarterly and yearly goals for practical implementation.

A retreat also strengthens leadership bonds, essential for the collaborative execution of company values. It’s not recreation – it’s a focused step toward transforming business strategies.

Examples

• Leadership retreats fostered a collaborative three-year product plan for a startup.
• Boards clarified corporate values during informal strategy sessions.
• A marketing retreat reimagined client engagement tactics using creative brainstorming.

7. Virtual meetings demand new techniques

With technology’s role increasing, virtual meetings are becoming essential. However, they require adjustments, particularly in communication techniques. For example, leaving space for responses and showing verbal cues like “mm-hm” can maintain engagement during audio calls.

Platforms like Google Workspace streamline collaboration, enabling real-time editing of documents and presentations. Remote huddles conducted over video or audio ensure team energy stays high even when working apart.

Technology lets companies hold daily huddles or brainstorming meetings effortlessly, ensuring distance isn’t an obstacle to collaboration.

Examples

• A CEO held daily team huddles over video during international travel.
• Teams collaborated seamlessly on Google Docs and avoided miscommunication.
• Remote workers used slideshows for creative brainstorming during virtual projects.

Takeaways

1. Start meetings on time and enforce “arrive five minutes early” standards to respect everyone's schedule.
2. Let leadership roles rotate for meetings, providing employees new opportunities to grow and contribute.
3. Use a shared agenda tool to allow employees to skip irrelevant meetings or identify when their inputs matter most.