A deep dive into meeting culture and an antidote to its toxicity
The managers, the format, and the attendee overload turn meetings into unproductive wastelands. Let’s explore 5 unintuitive hacks to fix the mess.
“Has anyone got something to discuss?” Any meeting that starts like that should not exist. It was the opening line of a weekly meeting I used to have in the early days of my career. The CEO started those meetings when there were just 5 employees in order to improve the company culture. A couple of years later with more than 20 employees, this tradition had long outlived its usefulness.
I still remember everyone sighing collectively while we wasted an entire hour discussing trivialities. Once we even discussed how not to get sick, so no one would miss a workday. Yes, that really happened. It was clear that no one wanted to be in those meetings, yet we clung to this unproductive routine because, well, it was on the schedule.
We’ve all been trapped in meetings that seem to drag on forever. Whether it’s the weekly gathering that’s lost its purpose or the status update meeting where everyone’s face is present, but their minds are off checking their emails or browsing memes.
Meetings usually have agendas so vague that nobody is really sure what they are about. They trail off into tangents, making it harder to move forward. And, to top it off, they last more than they should, becoming a drain on people’s energy.
“I love meetings.” Said no one. Ever.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to wage war on meetings. A good meeting is a great investment of your time, the problem is that most of them are not good and some are even toxic, poisoning the workplace and turning even the most dedicated employees into meeting-hating cynics.
We all hate bad meetings, yet we keep having them. The rise of remote work has only made it worse; now, it’s just a practicality to capture someone else’s time. But why is it so hard to quit these meetings?
I believe there are three main culprits. First, the classic meeting format is fundamentally flawed, making it an uphill battle to initiate productive meetings from the get-go. Then, we have the managers, who rarely consider the chaos they’re wreaking on everyone else’s schedules with their meeting marathons. Lastly, there’s the guest list, filled with individuals invited by courtesy, increasing the number of attendees and making everything slower.
So, let’s delve into why these factors conspire to create a toxic meeting culture, and then explore five hacks to break free from this never-ending meeting nightmare.
The traditional meeting setup is broken
Imagine a Zoom call with ten attendees, all with their cameras off. Can you honestly say they’re focused on the topic at hand? My bet is they’re probably in another browser tab, halfway through an email, or checking WhatsApp. Some might call it multitasking; I call it not paying attention.
The classic meeting format is extremely dull and unproductive. Surprisingly, this format has remained virtually unchanged for decades, even though there are more efficient alternatives, like workshops. The formula is often predictable: sit down, listen, perhaps take notes, and occasionally ask a question to signal you are there. It’s a boring routine we’ve all become accustomed to.
With the conventional meeting format, it’s very hard to get meaningful contributions from the participants. People may have great ideas that get lost because of group dynamics.
The best ideas usually come from reflection, but in the typical meeting setting, there’s no room for deep thinking.
Frequently, it’s the opinion of the loudest person in the room or the highest-paid person that dominates the discussion. Valuable insights and alternative viewpoints from quieter team members may go unheard.
If meetings were crimes, managers would be the perpetrators
The dynamics of meetings are intrinsically tied to managers. In his amazing essay, Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule, Paul Graham explains the misalignment between the schedules of managers and makers.
The Manager’s Schedule is designed for individuals in positions of authority. It slices the day into one-hour chunks, allowing managers to allocate their time efficiently across various tasks. This schedule fits the managerial role perfectly, enabling them to attend numerous meetings, coordinate teams, and make frequent decisions.
The Maker’s Schedule, in contrast, is a creator’s dream. It demands long stretches of uninterrupted time to dive deep into their work. Makers need more extended, uninterrupted time blocks to engage deeply with their tasks. An hour isn’t even a warm-up; makers need half a day, or more, to create quality output.
Individually, these schedules work fine, the problem appears when they meet. Decision-makers operate on the manager’s schedule, setting the tone for the entire work culture. They often try to sync their team members with their meeting-packed daily routine.
This collision is a nightmare for makers because it disrupts their creative flow. A single meeting during their productive hours can derail their entire day. Knowing a meeting looms in the afternoon often discourages them from starting ambitious tasks in the morning, interrupting their natural workflow.
As a maker, it’s often better to miss a meeting and catch up later than to sacrifice an entire hour of productivity.
With remote work, the issue gets exacerbated by insecure managers with a constant need for oversight of their teams. The absence of physical presence fuels their fear that team members might not be working diligently.
This lack of trust manifests as excessive meetings and check-ins, creating a productivity wasteland. Managers should protect their team’s time, not capture it. Treating people like adults and allowing them to manage their own time should be the norm. The focus should be on results, not on how many hours you’re glued to your keyboard.
The curse of the many
I’ve noticed that when I meet with two or three team members to tackle a challenge, we get things done. These gatherings work so well that I hardly think of them as meetings.
It’s easy to be productive in small and focused groups. It allows for meaningful discussions and an agile decision-making process. However, as the number of attendees increases, productivity takes a nosedive.
Consider this simple formula: the number of attendees is inversely proportional to the productivity of the meeting.
There’s a reason why popular design methodologies, such as the Design Sprint, recommend capping participation at seven people. Beyond this threshold, a meeting can quickly transform into a circus.
With more than five people, it becomes challenging to have a productive conversation. With more than 10, it’s nearly impossible. The more people involved, the more difficult it is to achieve significant results.
If you want to get something done, assemble a task force, not a mob.
Reducing the number of attendees could easily be achieved if it weren’t for the tangled web of office politics. Some people consider a meeting invitation as a status badge. If you receive one, it’s because you’re important. It becomes an ego matter that affects both managers and individual contributors.
If you’re a manager, you probably dread leaving someone out, so you’d rather invite everyone than risk explaining later why they weren’t on the guest list. On the other hand, as an IC, if you get an invitation it could feel rude to decline. You assume they need your input. And not getting invited could instill a fear of missing out.
As a result, we end up with meetings where some attendees are there as a courtesy, secretly wishing they were anywhere else. It’s a classic case of The Abilene Paradox, where a group goes against its members’ wishes because each assumes the others want it.
5 hacks to tame the meeting monster
Since I became a manager, I started a crusade against ineffective meetings. I wouldn’t say we have reached the perfect meeting culture, but I’m pretty satisfied with the way we have improved our collaboration.
Here are 5 not so intuitive hacks that have helped me navigate the meeting minefield. I’ll skip the obvious ones, like having an agenda and sticking to it, ending the meeting on time, or creating action points.
1. Do you really need a meeting?
Let’s start with the obvious one. Before scheduling a meeting, ask yourself if it’s truly necessary. Many issues that seem like meeting material can often be resolved more efficiently through other means.
Asynchronous communication can work wonders when used correctly. We have an arsenal of tools at our disposal: email, text, audio, and video messaging services.
At my company, we have discussions on Slack threads. For information that requires visual input, we use Loom videos. And I no longer attend information-sharing meetings; instead, I watch the recording at double speed later.
2. Turn the agenda topics into questions
A well-crafted agenda can be a game-changer for meetings. But instead of the classic list of topics, try an agenda with critical questions. Goal-oriented questions give a purpose for the meeting and guide discussions to actionable outcomes.
Imagine you are a member of the board of Waystar Royco and you need to call a meeting to discuss the expansion of the company. Instead of having a topic like “Company Expansion”, you can frame it as “How can we expand our evil media empire to reach younger audiences?”
This approach draws inspiration from the success of methodologies like the Design Sprint, which revolves around answering specific Sprint questions to establish a clear goal.
3. Every meeting should be a workshop
Unlike conventional meetings, workshops have a clear goal and a structured format that ensures active engagement from all participants. Workshops encourage collaboration and decision-making as a group. They feature exercises and activities that allow everyone to contribute effectively, giving attendees the satisfaction that their voices were heard and that things stayed on track.
You may be thinking that this works for tech startups but cannot be done in a corporate setting. Well, I’ve actually run successful workshops with lots of corporate clients. It does not only work, but the clients are usually surprised with the results.
If you want to try it, I recommend you start with a Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) Workshop. It’s an exercise to solve any problem by replacing open discussion with a clear process.
4. From committee to task force
Be ruthless when selecting who to invite. The fewer people involved, the quicker things will move. When deciding who to invite, the question should not be “Has this person something to add to the topic.” That’s no filter, everyone has something to add. Instead, you should ask, “Can the meeting happen without this person.” If the answer is no, then send the invitation.
Ensure only those directly involved or with decision-making authority attend. This minimizes time wastage for others. You can later share action points with those who need to be informed. Alternatively, record the meeting for anyone who wants to catch up later.
5. Just say no
Don’t be afraid to decline an invitation. Your worth is measured by your results. If a meeting helps your team achieve its goals faster, by all means, attend. If not, have the courage to decline.
Each minute saved from attending a meeting can be channeled into meaningful work. Your time is gold; always ask yourself if a meeting is the best use of it.
If you are an individual contributor, you may be worried about what your manager would say if you decline a meeting invitation. Hopefully, this post will provide you with arguments to highlight the importance of protecting your time to get things done.
A Good Meeting Culture Is Achievable
You might be thinking, “Sure, all this sounds good in theory, but in the real world, it’s impossible.” Well, let me tell you, there are successful companies out there that have achieved a healthy meeting culture.
Take Levels and Basecamp as an example. Levels is a health platform that monitors metabolic fitness and Basecamp is a project management and collaboration tool. They are both all-remote companies that take asynchronous work seriously and they’ve practically eliminated all meetings. When they do occur, they involve no more than three people, and everything is documented to share with the rest of the company.
Then there’s Microsoft Japan, which, as part of its Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019, experimented by slashing standard meeting durations from 60 to 30 minutes. They also implemented a policy requiring approval for meetings with more than five participants. This move resulted in happier workers and a whopping 40% increase in productivity.
It’s not a utopia; it can be done. It takes a shift in mindset and a willingness from managers to rethink the way we meet.
If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be “meetings.” — Dave Barry
Work is what happens when we’re not in meetings. It’s when we’re doing the real thing, not discussing abstractions. We can achieve meaningful outcomes working alone, in pairs, or even in groups. But we definitely won’t achieve it by sitting on a Zoom call, half-listening while our minds wander elsewhere.
