Stop the meeting MADNESS
Here’s how to cut back on time-wasting gatherings
If I were to count up all the time I’ve spent in meetings, it likely would span years.
Meetings are important, of course. Decisions are made, strategies are created and teams are built.
However, time is wasted at many meetings. If you think you’re spending more time in meetings and they’re not productive, you are not alone.
According to Harvard Business Review, research shows that meetings have increased in length and frequency over the past 50 years, and executives now spend an average of almost 23 hours a week in them, up from less than 10 hours in the 1960s.
A survey of 182 senior managers in a range of industries found that 65 percent said meetings kept them from completing their own work, and 71 percent said meetings were unproductive and inefficient, Harvard reported.
When you’re always tied up in group calls and meetings, then your culture is likely taking a hit. Spending more time in the board room means you have less time to actually do work and engage with your team. Your employees also can’t focus on work if they have to run off to meetings.
Talking about work and doing work are two very different things, and only one of them is going to get you results. You can’t eradicate meetings, or at least not in the near future. But you can change the way you approach them, and, in turn, how much time you’re spending in them.
Here are five strategies to cut down on meetings in order to become a more effective, engaged leader.
1. Stand up
Sitting down in a nice chair with a full cup of freshly brewed coffee invites people to make themselves comfortable. So instead of scheduling the next meeting in your conference room, switch it up by standing up.
Standing can keep participants more alert and focused on what really needs to be discussed. Try keeping them on their toes and see how it changes the dynamic.
2. Set a timer
How many times have you been in a meeting to discuss sales targets, then find yourself on a tangent about marketing? It’s easy to get sidetracked and digress.
Before you start on a subject, set a timer. I like to do 15-minute increments. If you find you’re on a good path and your time’s up, renew it for 15 minutes.
3. Delegate
One of the greatest obstacles for leaders is feeling that they have to be involved in everything. The bigger your company is, the more impossible it becomes to have your hands in sales, marketing, human resources, public relations, design, etc.
Here’s an easy fix to keep your sanity while still being an effective leader: Send someone else. Whether it’s your executive assistant or a manager from another department, trust your staff to step in and come back to you to summarize the important parts after the meeting.
4. Schedule more meetings
This may sound completely counterproductive, but another tactic that’s worth trying is to schedule shorter meetings, but more frequent ones.
If your monthly staff meetings last hours, split them up into shorter ones two or three times per month.
5. Just say no
Stop attending meetings where you’re not needed. If someone asks you to sit in on a meeting or join them for a conference call and it isn’t vital for you to attend, just say no.
When your staff members stop relying on your final say, they’ll be empowered to make their own decisions. Mandy Gilbert is the founder and chief executive of Creative Niche.