I recently read an article that posed a solution to this dilemma that I found pretty interesting. If you've never left a meeting and thought, "well, that was a waste of time" or "that didn't accomplish anything," you're probably in the minority of business owners. Therefore, it's essential to look at how we structure our meetings.
We have every technology/platform we need to collaborate virtually (Zoom, Slack, Email, Texts, etc.). Unfortunately, this ability to connect every second of the day means that we are not having the defined, productive collaboration sessions needed to move forward. Here are a few of their suggestions to combat this problem.
First of all, have fewer meetings and make them shorter. Make sessions no longer than 30 minutes and eliminate those from unimportant meetings; you can send out a summary afterward. Start sending information out before a meeting and reserve the meeting time for Q&A.
Secondly, while we have all heard about the four-day work week, some companies are starting to have "no meeting days" so that their employees have more time to think versus just do. We need to stop telling people what to do and have them think of a solution. Having employees focused on results and not just tasks/activities makes them entrepreneurs by making them directly accountable for success.
Finally, improve decision-making by appointing one person who will be making the decision and identifying who else will consult but not vote.
I would try to implement just one of these suggestions at first and see how it works. It may make a more significant difference than you think.
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