I really hate meetings and I mean it.
Back in 2016, I thought that being on a meeting was somekind of presige. I found out, that it’s far from the truth. This is an easy way for you to communicate & elaborate out thoughts, but is it the most effective way? Are we doing it right? I know that many meetings are useless regarding making things happen. It's not good enough because there is a lack of execution afterwards. You say something, someone says something... and then everyone forgot about 50%(if there was any agenda and meetings notes & next steps). Everyone in any business knows that "old" saying: "This meeting could be an e-mail", but even everyone thinks about that - there's no conclusions. So, no, I think meetings won't make you more important, but actual work will.
Back in 2016, I thought that being on a meeting was somekind of presige. I found out, that it’s far from the truth. This is an easy way for you to communicate & elaborate out thoughts, but is it the most effective way? Are we doing it right? I know that many meetings are useless regarding making things happen. It's not good enough because there is a lack of execution afterwards. You say something, someone says something... and then everyone forgot about 50%(if there was any agenda and meetings notes & next steps). Everyone in any business knows that "old" saying: "This meeting could be an e-mail", but even everyone thinks about that - there's no conclusions. So, no, I think meetings won't make you more important, but actual work will.
Let me quote Elon Musk's approach in his company:
If somebody’s in a meeting and finds out that it’s not helping them in a meaningful way and they’re not contributing - they should leave.
In many firms, that kind of behavior is rude and unacceptable. It often means that you are disrespectful to people at meetings. It's not the case and shouldn't be received that way. If I am going out of a room - that means I don't have much to participate in, or the meetiong itself is not fit for me. That also means that I value company resources - like employee time and more personally - MY time. Like - I've just saved company's $$$ by quitting.
The other problem with meetings is that people can't stick to the agenda(if there is any). No moderation, no rules - just talk without conclusions or action points. There are a lot of categories like: status, brainstorm, or workshop. But people can't recognize what they need and they go wild. That's why I prefer writing - because this has to be structerd, clear and...yeah, you can always come back to what I wrote. What's more - you have time to think and you can answer me when you're ready. I am talking about quality of work here.
One of the biggest problem with meetings - too many, too often. This is kind of work, but in many ways - not a very effective one. Like there is no other way to communicate...or better one. I have to admit - this is hard to change, when everyone's treating your empty calendar like "oh, he's free". That's wrong - I am working and any invite will destroy my focus and workflow. In my mind - meeting is last resort. I am not perfect here, but I know how to get where I want to go. To the reality, where people inviting me to meetings will think twice if I am really needed there, and I won't hesitate to decline if the agenda isn't clear enough.
This is all about company culture & set of rules. No one will do that for us. If we want to develop as people and as part of a company - we have to use the right forms of communication.
That said - yes, sometimes meeting is necessary, but trust me, you wouldn't believe how rarely.
That said - yes, sometimes meeting is necessary, but trust me, you wouldn't believe how rarely.