Leaders — Please Stop Wasting Our Time with Useless Meetings
Why good leadership doesn’t call unnecessary meetings
Look, I’m here to work. I have a job to do. I’m not here to ‘connect’ with you or the team — that’s why I have friends and family. Your job is to lead our team, which means you get us clear on the goals, empower us to solve problems, and move this organization forward. Our job is to tackle the obstacles you’ve identified so the mission is accomplished. You bring the clarity, we execute the tasks.
Maybe no one told you this when you got your MBA degree, but good leaders work to gain clarity so they can maximize their people’s efforts instead of waste them. We understand it’s your job to hold meetings, but please — don’t waste our time. And please don’t use meetings as a way to validate yourself. Nothing kills our team spirit more than your insecurity and an obvious need for approval.
Remember that time is our most precious resource, and meetings that accomplish nothing waste our time. And if you waste our time, you lose credibility as our leader. And if you lose credibility, you lose effectiveness in the organization. Keep in mind for a meeting to be effective, it must lead to action. Here’s three things we want you to think through before you call us to a meeting:
