We All Hate Meetings—Here’s How to Make Them Work

Key takeaways

Meetings are a major productivity drain, costing billions annually, and often demoralize employees.
Poor preparation, lack of training, and unintentional scheduling contribute to ineffective meetings.
Best practices include shorter, smaller meetings with clear agendas and decision-making focus.
Leading companies use innovative strategies—like Amazon’s memo approach and Shopify’s calendar pruning—to foster effective meeting cultures.
Hybrid meetings require thoughtful design, such as good video setups and equal participation, to be successful.
Leaders should actively measure and improve their meeting practices through surveys and delegated responsibilities.
Fewer, more intentional meetings combined with a focus on relationships and accountability amplify organizational performance.

Summary

The Cost and Frustration of Bad Meetings

The episode opens with an exploration of how meetings are a significant drain on organizations, with employees spending about 30% of their time in meetings. Surveys indicate that half of these meetings are viewed as unproductive, leading to vast financial costs—estimated at around $870 billion annually in the US—plus decreased morale and energy drain. The speakers discuss how these wasted meetings highlight a systemic problem, emphasizing the importance of understanding why meetings fail and how they can be improved.

Root Causes of Ineffective Meetings and Solutions

Paul English attributes many meeting failures to a lack of preparation, training, and conscious management. He criticizes the ease of scheduling meetings and advocates for more disciplined practices like shorter meetings, smaller groups, deliberate agenda-setting, and regular calendar reviews. He underscores the importance of purposeful meetings that focus on decision-making and relationship building, rather than mindless status updates, advocating for a culture that values meaningful engagement and efficient use of time.

Best Practices from Top Companies and a Culture of Effective Meetings

Drawing from companies like Amazon, LinkedIn, Airbnb, and Shopify, the episode details innovative practices for enhancing meeting culture. Amazon's ban on PowerPoint and emphasis on detailed memos promote thoughtful preparation. LinkedIn champions action-oriented meetings with strong agendas and transparent, honest discussion. Airbnb and Nvidia prefer larger meetings for transparency and information sharing. Paul English emphasizes the importance of small, focused meetings for idea generation and innovation, coupled with an environment where authority and responsibility are delegated to empower teams and foster accountability.

Managing Hybrid and Remote Meetings

The discussion turns to the challenges and opportunities associated with hybrid work models. While remote work can be effective, English advises best practices such as ensuring all participants have their cameras on and are equally represented via laptops, creating a level playing field. He acknowledges the importance of relationship-building in hybrid settings and suggests that successful meetings require intentional design to engage both in-person and remote participants effectively.

Actionable Steps for Leaders to Improve Meeting Culture

The episode concludes with practical advice for leaders: conduct surveys to understand team sentiment about meetings, delegate the responsibility for improving practices, and implement specific interventions like reducing unnecessary meetings, enhancing agendas, starting on time, and fostering participation. English advocates for 'meeting surgery'—cutting down on redundant meetings and improving process—to significantly boost productivity. Building a culture that values meaningful, well-run meetings is presented as a key driver of organizational success.

Show notes

Meetings are one of the biggest drains on time, energy, and morale at work, yet most managers are never actually taught how to run them well. Paul English, cofounder of Kayak, argues that organizations underestimate just how costly bad meetings can be. He says meeting culture is one of the most overlooked drivers of productivity, morale, and organizational effectiveness. Drawing on lessons from companies like Amazon, LinkedIn, Airbnb, and Shopify, as well as his own experience building high-performing teams, he explains how leaders can run meetings that create clarity, energy, and better decisions instead of frustration and fatigue. English is the author of the book The Meeting Book: How the Best Companies Meet Better.