Don’t Get Abducted by Meetings
In February of 1955 President Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived at Holloman Airforce base in New Mexico. Shortly after his plane arrived, approximately 300 witnesses (all military of course) saw three orb shaped vehicles appear. One landed roughly 200 hundred feet from Air Force One, another hovered as if to keep watch. And the third, simply disappeared. The witnesses watched as Eisenhower disembarked the plane and walked towards the orb that had landed nearby. As he approached a door opened and being, appeared to greet him. Eisenhower, greeted the being and boarded the ship. It did not take off from there. Eisenhower was on the ship for roughly forty-five minutes, then left ship, and the ships disappeared.
Eisenhower, had just had concert with extra-terrestrials. Oddly enough, this was not his first experience with E.T.’s. It is said that he had previously met with another alien race known as the Nordics. (Think handsome and sexy Scandinavian people.) During his meeting with the Nordics, it is said that he was asked to stop the progression of nuclear testing, to which, of course, he refused. This second meeting at Holloman AFB was with a separate, albeit, more well-known race known as the greys. (Think the X-Files.) During this second meeting, according to several sources, this meeting was in regards to amongst other items, two big topics of discussion. The first of course was another request to stop nuclear testing. Which of course, we again refused. The second was in regards to a form of creepy trade. This became known as the Greada Treaty. In this treaty, one of the main items discussed was that in trade for alien technology, the greys would be able to conduct experiments on cattle and humans of the Earth. (Also known as abductions.) Eisenhower agreed to the proposal under one condition…the humans that were abducted for research must be returned to their homes safely, and unharmed, and he had to be given the name of every person involved. The Greys agreed and the treaty was signed.
Unfortunately, the greys did not keep their end of the bargain. The people that they abducted had horrific side effects from their abductions. Terrifying flash backs, painful injuries, hallucinations. Scary stuff. Long story short…meetings suck.
It seems that meetings have the potential to provide great results, and that’s not to say that they can’t. However, when was the last time that you left a meeting and proclaimed “Hazzah! What a great and worthwhile experience that gem was!?!”
Meetings once a week, or every other week are fine. They need to happen. But it seems as though sometimes companies have meetings because they feel that they have to. Or, it’s a great way to show that we’re busy! Truth is, I don’t have any recollection of any information that was delivered to me in the last meeting I attended. Now maybe that’s because it wasn’t pertinent to me. Which begs a whole new question; if it wasn’t for me, then why was I there? What if someone can’t make it? Maybe they needed to work from home, or on the road? “Well, let’s post-pone the meeting then. I don’t want to have the meeting if ‘John or Jane Q. Viewer’ can’t be here.” Why? Pull up your computer and you can do a virtual meeting!
So why do we even have meetings? Well, I sometimes enjoy meetings because it gives me a chance to speak to my colleagues. Not about work stuff, are you kidding me!?! I like the social aspect of the meeting. Maybe it makes us feel like we’re getting work done. We’re discussing the events and activities that will make us successful and profitable! Well, then we run into the issue of execution. I’ve been in countless meetings where topics were discussed, but that’s it. There was no follow through. No accountability. We could also have a meeting so that you can tell your team some big news! Or, and this is just a thought…send me an email with that big news!
The problem is that many companies feel as though they are only going to be productive or successful when a meeting or series of meetings takes place. All the while, I most likely will zone-out at some point during that meeting, and will take nothing away from it. We live in a technological age. We have email, we have Google Hangouts, Skype, Go to Meeting, amongst many others. We have the ability to chat and get to the issues quickly. And isn’t that what technology is all about? Getting things done in the quickest, most effective, most cost-efficient way possible?
Meetings can be good, if they involve the right people. If they get to the point quickly, and if they provide some form of accountability, wherein I have to answer back to someone with some form of a result. But when I put down that laundry list of meeting agenda items, I look at that and see that still, it could be something done through email.
Eisenhower had a meeting with extra-terrestrials. Travis Walton (look him up) was abducted and endured a horrifying experience. We saw how well those meetings worked out. Have fewer meetings, send more emails. And keep your eyes on the night sky. If you are ever driving down a long, dark, deserted road, and you see bright lights appear in the sky…keep driving. Don’t get curious. Don’t stop. Keep driving. Remember that because of a meeting, you might be the next person in a long line of people that no one believes. All because there was a meeting.
