Enquirer Digest #0016 The "Meeting"

Hello Enquirers

First things first. An update as I have been off the newsletter for a considerable time now. My apologies. But as you will all concur, sometimes life gets in the way. Although I could have squeezed in the editions I really wanted to sit down when all was a bit settled. For most of you that don't know I have moved to Portugal. So, the last months were remarkably busy with a big international move. But now back with another edition. Enjoy.

Meetings

Meetings. Yes, meetings are this edition main subject. Why so?

Meetings are overlooked. They are taken for granted in the way they are conducted.

What's the main problem?

Meetings are very time consuming and a killer to productivity. As you can see from the two articles below all levels of management see meetings to be unproductive. HBR's article is pre covid but the other article also touches upon post covid as well. The main finding there is that although meetings have been shortened the number of meetings has increased. Which is going for the worse rather than better.

So where is all this meeting problem coming from?

Cultural acceptance and not acknowledging it as an issue.

There's an accepted culture in workplaces with meeting culture and so it's not even a consideration about what can be done.

When you look at a blog excerpt from an executive in the HBR article below its quite shocking.

I believe that our abundance of meetings at our company is the Cultural Tax we pay for the inclusive, learning environment that we want to foster…and I’m ok with that. If the alternative to more meetings is more autocratic decision-making, less input from all levels throughout the organization, and fewer opportunities to ensure alignment and communication by personal interaction, then give me more meetings any time!

Where are you with your meetings?

Here are some questions that we all should have a look in terms of meetings conducted:

• Could the information in this meeting be solved with a memo/email?
• Did it have to be a meeting?
• Where all that where in the meeting relevant for the discussion?
• Why am I invited? To make a decision? An opinion? If I am asked to provide a decision has all necessary information been provided to me?
• Is the meeting to discuss and have a conversation about a subject matter at hand or is it just a one-way dialogue from one to another?
• Do we really need 1 hour or more? Could it have been shorter?

All the above questions point to problems with meetings in the workplace. You may have some of them, not all of them, but still probably there's great room for improvement.

In relation to meetings and how they can be improved I am coming to you with not one but two podcasts actually.

Some insights I liked from both Podcasts:

One is from Seth Godin and the other is from Adam Grant.

From Seth Godin

• Meetings must be about conversations and nothing else with the confidence and permission to talk to each other.
• Have a zoom agreement.
• Promise to actively participate and not to waste each other's time.

From Adam Grant:

• The quality of meetings is more important than the mere existence of meetings, as approximately one third of meetings are unnecessary and result in significant financial waste. The cost of wasted time in meetings is just the beginning, not including the cost of lost ideas or drained energy.
• To change norms and improve meeting efficiency, open discussions about the necessity of meetings and when they can be avoided are crucial.
• Individual calendar audits are great to improve productivity. About 4 hours a month to be exact.
• Restructure meetings where applicable.

As with all improvement areas, meetings are an area for improvement that needs intentionality from all levels of the organization to tackle it properly.

In relation to this week’s subject the podcasts to listen to are:

Today's Article

Stop the meeting madness

Summary of the Article:

• Executives spend an average of 23 hours per week in meetings, compared to less than 10 hours in the 1960s. Excessive meetings can negatively impact productivity, focus, and engagement. Improving meeting management requires systemic change and a shift in organizational culture. To address meeting problems, teams should collect data, interpret it together, agree on a collective goal, set milestones, and regularly debrief.

The cost of poor quality meetings

Summary of the Article:

• This article discusses the impact of poor-quality meetings on productivity, employee engagement, and overall meeting culture within organizations. It highlights the global prevalence of poor-quality meetings and the challenges that have arisen during the shift to remote work. The article also addresses the cost of poor-quality meetings in terms of wasted time and resources. It emphasizes the importance of addressing this issue and offers insights and strategies for improving meeting culture and productivity.

Today’s Quote

"In a meeting, presence is more important than presentation." - Thomas Leonard