Meetings...

If you know me, you know my disdain for meetings.

One thing I cannot stand is having a meeting just for the sake of having a meeting. People's time is precious and limited. If a meeting is necessary, make it as brief as possible. If the meeting is scheduled for half an hour but you accomplish what needs to be done in ten minutes? Dismissed! Meeting adjourned! Goodbye!

You know the joke about how great it feels when plans you were dreading are canceled? Multiply that happy feeling by a million when a meeting I didn't want to go to gets canceled!

I also cannot stand meetings that should have been emails. There are certainly some situations that require a group of people to get together for planning or discussion, but let's face it, most meetings these days can be emails. If all I'm doing is receiving information, please don't make me attend a meeting. Put that info in an email. Not only will it save everyone the time and inconvenience of attending a meeting, but I will have everything I need to know in writing. I liken it to phone call versus a text. Please don't call me with information such as an address or a date or a location. Just text it to me. 1) No one is inconvenienced by finding a time we can both be on the phone; you can send the info when it's convenient for you and I can read it when it's convenient for me. 2) This is not the type of info that requires human interaction in order to be shared. 3) I'll have the correct info, straight from you, at my fingertips. Win-win-win.

Meetings with tons of people in them just aren't productive, and the meetings that are filled with icebreakers and "get up and introduce yourself to someone you don't know" activities are the worst. Get to the business at hand and let's all move on with our lives.

When 20 people are gathered together for a one-hour meeting, it's not really one hour of time. That meeting is using up twenty hours of time. People need to consider this and think long and hard before they hold a meeting!

I always admire C's meetings. He's been working from home since March 2020, and he has to attend a LOT of meetings. But guess what? They're succinct and to the point. No chitchat or nonsense. You get on the call, you discuss, problem solve, plan, organize, etc. whatever needs to be addressed, and you get off the call. Time is money and wasting people's time in ridiculous meetings in a huge waste of money. Efficiency is the name of the game.

If you're not familiar with Despair.com, you can find hilarious "demotivational" posters, cards, mugs, and calendars there. I have a very sarcastic sense of humor and this is one of my favorites from them:

"None of us is as dumb as all of us."

If we need to meet, by all means, let's meet. In person, over zoom, on the phone...whatever it takes. But if we don't NEED to meet? Please send me an email instead!

Happy Tails to you!