Have Less Meetings and Get More Done

Know when to have a meeting

One of the things that we are known for in Emergency Management is meetings. I believe meetings are overrated. I have to admit that I have been known to call and chair my fair share of meetings. So I am not throwing rocks in a glass house.

Part of the reason I am posting this piece is to remind my team and me to keep all of us accountable to each other when it comes to our meetings.

When we talk about meetings, I am not talking about the simple one-on-ones or briefings we often conduct. I am talking about meetings that involve several people. These types of meetings tend to be unproductive and time suckers. In general, we call meetings for a variety of reasons. However, Decision-making is not one of them. And Getting feedback on a subject can be done in other, more efficient ways.

So let's set some guidelines for meetings. The first guideline is when in doubt, do not call a meeting. Question every meeting you have on your calendar, are you having the meeting just for the sake of it? If the answer to that question is yes, then cancel that meeting.

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