Why Meetings Suck + What to Do About It
I was catching up with a client of mine - COO at a hot growth-stage company. He was telling me about his crazy-busy life and the headaches that come with his digital workplace. Sound familiar?
With several big companies suddenly calling everyone back to the office, he's feeling pretty torn about what to do next. And he's not alone.
The Leadership Blues
Here's the deal: keeping teams together, helping them grow, and sticking to company values is tough stuff these days. Whether you're all in the office or spread out across the globe, it's easy for teams to get stuck in their own little bubbles. Before you know it, you've got resentment brewing between departments or individuals.
My client’s starting to feel the weight of leadership, and it's wearing him down a bit. I totally get where he's coming from.
Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings
Asking him to describe life “at the office”, he painted a sad picture of their leadership meetings:
Board meetings - glorified show-and-tell sessions that take forever to prep for.
Executive committee meetings- basically status updates and approving new business initiatives.
Department meetings - all about checking off tasks and hitting those KPIs.
Bore snore. But here’s the thing, he’s not alone. In fact, consider these stats:
A study by Otter.ai found that professionals were spending about 18 hours a week in meetings with 30% of that time considered unproductive.
HBR reported that executives spend an average of 23 hours per week in meetings, up from less than 10 in the 60’s, despite the meteoric rise in technology.
Or this often cited study by Doodle that estimated that professionals in the US spend about 2 hours per week in pointless meetings accounting for about 24 billion hours wasted every year!
We all have unconscious biases about meetings. Between how it’s always been done, the fire drill of the moment and an authentic desire to move things along, we sometimes have knee jerk reactions and schedule meetings without fully considering their impact. The sad thing is that we inadvertently end up creating the same emotional distance we were seeking to avoid by getting together to begin with.
It’s harder than ever to create a company vibe. Before the pandemic, modern, progressive workplaces used to be spaces where likeminded, like-valued people could come together to get shit done. Even if there weren’t nap pods and goat yoga classes, there could be a sense of camaraderie and tribalism that made people feel a part of something. Through that togetherness was transmitted a uniting sense of mission. Particularly if the messaging was delivered intentionally and authentically by the leaders of the company, not just through their words but more importantly by their actions; jumping into a meeting to share some praise, eating with everybody in the staff meal room, having an impromptu dance party, organizing a 5 minute stretch or a 45 minute neighborhood trash pick up. We did these often and they were an expression of our values in action. And they were meaningful to our team. This is harder now. Offices are sparsely occupied. No matter how much of the physical footprint has been reduced, there’s nothing like a swath of empty workspaces to scream “this is where the fun happens”.
Making Connections Matter
Now, I'm not saying everyone needs to be in the office full-time. For me, that ship has sailed. But let's face it - when everyone's working from their kitchen table, it can get pretty lonely. Sure, it's a productivity issue, but it's also about your company culture.
Dragging people into the office just to do the same stuff they could do at home? That's not the answer. But smart leaders can bridge that culture gap by making every interaction count. Here's how:
Regular 1:1 check-ins that go beyond work talk
Virtual hangout spots where there is no agenda
Peer meetings where people at the same level can work through common issues
Making the Most of Face Time
If you are bringing people back to the office, make it worth their while:
Ditch the boring KPI reviews - save that for Zoom
Use in-person time for brainstorming and problem-solving
Make sure there’s a clear objective for every meeting and that the right people are there to move the ball forward
Focus on building connections and reminding everyone why they're here - ask a check in question at the beginning of the meeting and let people get to know each other
Mix structure with spontaneity - let the magic happen!
Remember, in-person time should leave your team feeling pumped, not deflated.
Keep Learning, Keep Growing
Just because we're not all in the same room doesn't mean we can't keep learning:
Hook your team up with online learning platforms or bring in somebody to talk about something useful to their lives: sleep, exercise, nutrition, saving/investing, parenting (cyber safety, middle school drama, bullying) - some experts will be happy to come in and trade the hour for the chance to pick up some new clients
Host virtual workshops where experts on your team share their secrets
Create spaces for knowledge sharing - consider team coaching meetings where people at similar levels can come together to share
Lead by example - share your own learning journey
Consider a mentor program for those who want to move up
Keep Your Values Front and Center
Your company values shouldn't get lost in the digital shuffle. Keep them alive by:
Talking about them. A lot.
Giving shout-outs to people who embody them
Using them to guide big decisions
Creating projects that bring your values to life
Wrapping Up
The workplace has changed, and our job as leaders has changed with it. We've got to be the glue that holds everything together, whether we're all in the same room or spread across time zones.
The leaders who are crushing it right now? They're the ones who can make a virtual workplace feel like home, squeeze every ounce of value out of in-person time, and keep their team fired up and moving forward.
By nailing this balancing act, you're not just keeping the lights on - you're setting your team and your company up for long-term success.
If your meetings sound like my client’s, check out this meeting decision matrix that can help you evaluate whether or not to keep holding or attending the meetings on your calendar.
Our biases, our ego and our control can also get in the way of making rational decisions about how we spend our time. If you find yourself wondering if there's a way for you and your team to have a better (or even great) week at work (and elsewhere), hit me up.