“Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.”
— John Kenneth Galbraith
Unsuck Your Meetings
Part 2: Warning: No Value Ahead
How do you know if your meetings lack value? Here are the Warning Signs:
| Your Meetings: | Indicators |
| Are Boring & Lifeless | You find yourself daydreaming of somewhere—anywhere—you would rather be. Most participants say little or nothing. Time seems to stand still. You can think of 85 things that are not getting done.You suddenly think of I Corinthians 15, v. 55.[1] |
| Are Chaotic & Pointless | Lots of talking from the front of the room, very little listening in the rest of the room…and no shared understanding. Side trips are taken to rehash the past, air grievances, and whine about pet peeves. More confusion after the meeting than before. |
| Don’t Result in Desired Actions or Outcomes | No decisions get made. Lack of agreement on next steps. Behavior after the meeting not aligned with what you thought was agreed upon. Nothing changes because of the meeting. |
| Have Behaviors During the Meeting That Don’t Match Behaviors Outside of the Meeting | True feelings and opinions are shared before and after the meeting, not during. The ‘real meeting’ takes place in cubicles, hallways, offices, etc., among small groups of 2 or 3. Agreed-to actions are not taken. |
| Feature as Predominant Emotions either “Bummed” or “Angry” | Lack of eye contact. Side conversations. Palpable tension. Frequent checking of watch, mobile phone, tablet, laptop, pulse, etc. Eye rolling and audible sighs. |
| Have How People Avoid Attending Them as the Only Evident Creativity | No new ideas. No discussion of “undiscussables” (e.g., the ‘elephant in the room’).[2] Immediate squashing of anything innovative. Sudden increase in ‘deaths in the family’, unscheduled medical emergencies, and other important meetings to attend. |
| Must be Designated as “Mandatory”. | Previous meetings had a majority of participants disguised as empty seats. Belief that people will be willing participants if they are ordered to attend.[3] Grumbling, complaining, whining, bitching. |
| Result in Post-Meeting Actions That Don’t Match What Was Agreed To | Surprise, Panic, Blame. More Meetings. |
If you can answer “Yes” to four or more of these, your meetings lack value…and suck. And you’re letting them.
[1] “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
[2] Interestingly, if an actual elephant were in the room, it’s difficult to believe that fact would not be discussed.
[3] aka ‘Magical Thinking’.
You can’t change what you’re willing to tolerate…so if you’ve had enough of valueless meetings, the first question you must ask is, “Do we really need a meeting?” I’ll discuss that in Part 3 of Unsuck Your Meetings.
Listen to “Unsuck Your Meetings, Part 2” on audio:
Ronn Lehmann advises organizations and leaders on the human factors that determine their culture. Lehmann developed the Cultural Audit Process, which is designed to provide an outside perspective of an organization’s culture: what’s important, what’s rewarded and punished, what the rules are, and how people “show up.”
Success Authorities’ book, “Conversations for Clarity: Critical Questions Leaders Must Ask Themselves” is available now at Amazon!
