20 years of leadership - 1000 meetings too many
In almost 20 years as a manager in companies, I have experienced countless meetings - and, looking back, wasted a lot of time. Of course, not all of them were pointless. But many could have been emails. Or rather, they shouldn't have taken place at all.
Update calls, project status rounds, jour fixes, “just to coordinate”... What sounded like collaboration was often the opposite: time-consuming formats that brought neither clarity nor decisions - but instead filled calendars and took up energy.
Since I've been self-employed, I've noticed this in particular. I still have a lot of meetings - but now none of them feel like a waste of time.
Less calendar, more impact
Today, I talk to clients, candidates or people with whom I am developing. I have real conversations - not pseudo-formats.
Of course, I also have a team and need to coordinate. But our only regular meeting is a short kick-off on Monday morning. Scheduled for 30 minutes - we're usually through after 15 minutes. With content. With a decision. And with small talk.
One company. One attempt. And a sentence that nobody understood.
In a previous company, we wanted to find out: A meeting-free Thursday.
The idea was simple: no regular meetings on this day. Space for focus, creativity, deep work - or spontaneous, real conversations.
What happened? Some departments explained: "That's not possible. We can barely fit our meetings into five days." My (admittedly heretical) response: “Then why don't you also meet for jour fixes at the weekend?”
I wanted to point out the absurdity - but it wasn't understood. And that is precisely the problem: we have become accustomed to an overloaded meeting culture that has long since become the norm.
A simple reality check for every meeting
If you are invited to a meeting - or are planning one yourself - ask yourself (or the organizer) four simple questions beforehand:
- What specifically is to be discussed?
- Why is a meeting necessary?
- Which participants are needed - and why?
- What should be decided - and what options are on the table?
My suggestion: Have these points sent to you in advance in the calendar invitation or by email. Sounds time-consuming? It is - but only for the person who wants to take up your time. And that's fair.
Yes, I know: it's easy to say from the outside. But I was part of such systems myself - and if I were in an organization again today, I would definitely try it again.
