One Wish

If I had one wish (and rubbing a lamp actually worked), I’d wish for fewer meetings.

Not because I don’t value collaboration - I do. But because most meetings don’t actually collaborate. They review what we already know, rehash what we’ve already said, and eat up the time we could spend actually solving problems. I’ve seen entire days vanish into calendars full of alignment sessions that somehow leave everyone less aligned.

Here’s what I’ve learned:
Most meetings exist because someone’s afraid to make a decision.
Half the people don’t need to be there.
The other half are multitasking.
The person afraid of making the decision finally makes one and wants validation.
And the real decisions happen after the meeting.

I think in terms of dollars. A standing weekly hour long meeting with six people at an average wage of x shows up on the financials in the obvious wage categories - but what doesn't is the lost opportunity cost. Did we actually need six people to come to the conclusion that a spreadsheet needs to be updated? Did we need six people to come to the conclusion that we need to regroup?

Imagine if half our meetings were replaced with clear communication, better prep, and trust that people can execute without constant check-ins.
That’s a wish worth making.

When meetings turn into thinking about the work instead of actually doing the work - we increase the risk for failure.