Larry Patrick Zolob
Aug 8, 2017 · 1 min read

Some really good stuff here.

I’m a firm believer that meeting management requires systems. I go deeper into the issue in my post on the Root Causes of Meeting Misery, where I ask ‘why don’t we have agendas if everyone knows how to create them?’ for example. At the core is the almost all companies do not make conducting effective meetings a corporate discipline, which requires teaching, coaching and building it into performance evaluations. It’s rare that someone runs a crappy meeting and gets tapped on the shoulder at the end with feedback. We’re all too busy scurrying to get out of there. So, nothing changes.

I go into other root causes, not just that. A fundamental operational disrespect for people’s time is part of it. We pay lip service to the issue, mostly.

We spend far too much time in meetings disseminating information. Oral transmission of info is rarely efficient and I think the context point you make and the importance of the narrative does have some value, but less than you think. Your own direct manager carries a ton of influence on your own inspiration how you distribute your time, so I’d focus on how they are enforcing the corporate message.

Meetings will generate much more perceived value if we spend less time downloading info and instead discussing it and focusing on decisions. Again, it’s the systems and cultural habits we create that will drive this shift which is very much needed.

    Larry Patrick Zolob

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