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Humans reading from spreadsheets. Reciting task lists. Asking "where are we on this?" for the hundredth time.
These are mostly system failures with calendar invites.
The Meetings That Need to Die
Status Updates Ten people. One hour. Each person talks for six minutes. Everyone else checks email. Total value: zero. Replace with: Dashboard everyone actually checks.
Project Check-ins "Where are we on X?" "Who owns Y?" "When will Z be done?" These questions have answers. They live in systems. Not in meetings.
Approval Gatherings Six stakeholders assembled to say yes to something they already agreed to in email. Replace with: Clear approval workflows with documented decision rights.
Information Downloads One person talking. Nine people listening. Could have been a Loom. Should have been documentation. Will be forgotten by Monday.
The System Solution
Status lives in dashboards, not discussions.
Progress lives in workflows, not weekly syncs.
Decisions live in frameworks, not committees.
Knowledge lives in systems, not slide decks.
The best firms build three things:
Async-first communication. Default to written. Escalate to verbal only when needed. Create clarity without gathering everyone.
Single source of truth. One place to check. Not seventeen spreadsheets. Not someone's memory. One system everyone trusts.
Exception-based engagement. Meet when things break, not when they work. Celebrate smooth operations with empty calendars.
The Real Cost
Ten people. One hour meeting. $2,000 in salary burned. Every week. That's $100K annually. Per meeting.
Now count your recurring meetings.
Expensive (theatre?).
Kill the meetings. Build the systems. Get back to real work.
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