Meeting Madness

On today’s show, we’re talking about meetings, specifically the balance between enough structure to create accountability and so much meeting time that the work itself gets pushed into evenings, weekends, and sleep.

I have been looking at my own calendar, and the conclusion is uncomfortable. Too much of the week is committed to talking about work. The consequence is not merely fatigue. When focused work has to be stolen from the margins of the day, commitments become less predictable. A calendar full of meetings can create the appearance of control while quietly making the organization less reliable.

The research on meeting effectiveness does not support one universal format. It supports matching the communication method to the job. Routine information should usually be written. Coordination among a tightly connected team can justify a brief standup. A difficult decision may require a longer working session. A formal operating review can make sense when leaders must examine performance, challenge assumptions, allocate resources, and leave with consequential decisions.

Meeting science makes a useful distinction. If the purpose is simply to broadcast routine, non-urgent information, there is little reason to synchronize six calendars. Good asynchronous communication requires context, clarity, ownership, and documentation. It is not the absence of management. Done properly, it is management without forcing everyone to stop at the same moment.

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