Well, all organizations need them. The problem is that there is a fine line between meaningful, productive meetings and those that are a complete waste of time. What makes the difference? The difference is in the awareness and acknowledgement of meeting significance by the executives in the organization.
A friend of mine was in a meeting not long ago that was also attended by one of the senior vice presidents of the company. It was clear, early on, that the preparation and intent were lacking. After listening for a while and perusing the agenda, the senior vice president said, “I am at a lost to understand why we are all here. I think we need to adjourn this until everything of importance is known by everyone in attendance.” Here, here!
Many organizations never have attention paid to the impact that meaningless, pro forma, inexact meetings have on the efficiency of their organizations. Great meetings can bring clarity and focus and be invaluable to the success of the organization. Meetings that are perfunctory and undisciplined can be the bane of your existence. A change in that kind of thinking can only come from the top. Executives must approach the phenomenon known as meetings with the same degree of priority, intensity and determination that they apply to marketing, production, finances and customer service.
Meeting with a purpose helps, meeting to meet doesn’t!
Lewis Parham
President
Writer’s Cramp, Inc.