What to Do About Meetings That Kill Productivity
Useless meetings are symptoms of a dysfunctional team.
The brainstorming sessions that aim to [innovate, improve, streamline, etc.][some vague ideal] accomplish nothing. They corrode the team’s trust because attendees feel their time isn’t being respected. A meeting is a time to find solutions together. What is the point if no progress is made?
I’ve been required to do eight-hour brainstorming meetings for the whole week. There was no clear goal — just twenty of us trying to “figure things out.” The following week I still felt so irritated I couldn’t even focus on my work.
When meetings pile on and everyone only has enough time to do subpar work, there’s a huge underlying problem. If you have the misfortune of being in this situation, not all hope is lost! You don’t need to be miserable.
How to give helpful feedback
The first thing to consider trying is giving feedback to your team. It’s usually the last thing anyone wants to do because of how uncomfortable it is.
I’m sure we’ve all had that one friend who makes inappropriate comments and rather than telling her she’s being rude, we just stop being her friend. It’s easier to believe the problem is out of our control than to confront it.
We see this in workplaces too. Rather than speaking up about meetings being awful, we suffer through them and then leave the company when we’re fed up. If you plan to stay on the team, find ways to improve it for your own sake.
Let’s say your company always runs past the allotted time for meetings. You can ease into a conversation with the meeting organizer. “I have some thoughts about our meeting structure and wanted to share them with you to see what you think.”
The meetings may drag on for a number of reasons, but pick only one to focus on. Then state the issue and observations on how it affects performance. Don’t make it personal. Note the difference between the two:
1. You spend too much time on little details and nothing ever gets done.
versus
2. The meeting gets sidetracked with little details. It is preventing us from making decisions.
The person on the receiving end for the first statement would feel personally attacked. There’d be no chance of a productive conversation if the other party gets defensive.
Frame the problem as an issue to solve together. It’s “Us” versus “Problem” and not “You” versus “Me.”
Many people have good intentions and would welcome the collaboration. If it leads to improvement, that’s great! However, if the feedback isn’t well-received it’s disappointing. You can decide how to proceed from there. Whether you want to try again or not, it is still admirable to have spoken up.
Why it’s important to say “No”
Another essential yet challenging skill to learn is saying “No.” There’s a pervasive culture of saying “YES!” to everything. When you’re still figuring out your career, the experiences are essential. However, when you already have a clear idea of your strengths and goals, be strategic with how to spend your time.
This means replying “No” sometimes.
If I’m an optional meeting attendee who has nothing to add, I’d turn down the invitation.
If the meeting can be resolved with a quick email, I’d try to do so.
Hi [colleague],
You scheduled a time for us to talk about [topic]. I’m happy to help out. [Respond to the question].
Please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks, [name]
Suggest canceling the meeting if there are no further questions.
“Glad I could be of help. If everything is good on your end, what do you think of canceling the meeting for [topic] and buying back an hour of our time?” If the meeting is still necessary, you’ve knocked out the easy questions and the meeting can be focused on more complex ones.
The meetings where you’re not needed or you can resolve through a simple email are easy to turn down. The most difficult ones to deal with are those you dislike but are required to attend. Nothing sinks happiness and productivity more than being forced to do something.
When you start feeling distressed, don’t push through difficult meetings. I remember when I got so fed up with the brainstorming sessions, I stopped going. As uncomfortable as it was getting reprimanded, it couldn’t compare to the resentment I felt.
I needed to reclaim my sanity and twenty hours of the week back. When I was asked, “Do you have a good reason for not coming to the meetings?” I said, “No. I don’t” because by then I had given up on the team.
Nothing I said or did made a dent in the culture. I showed up just enough to not get into trouble while I planned my exit.
When is it time to leave
Do teams have bad meetings because they are dysfunctional or are they dysfunctional because of bad meetings? Chicken or the egg?
Useless meetings signal deeper cultural problems. All dysfunctional teams are filled with members who don’t trust each other. Everyone is just looking out for himself.
With any negative situation, if you’re unable to change or accept it, then it’s time to leave. Minimize as many irritations as possible during the workday. This will leave you with enough mental bandwidth for your job search.
I shared my experiences interviewing with bad companies. There are three ways to spot them during an interview.
Even though this job didn’t work out, you gained valuable knowledge about what to look out for. While it doesn’t feel like it right now, there are great teams out there. It takes effort to find them, but they’ll be worth it.