📞 +27 82 494 4663
Meetings go off the rails in predictable ways. Here are 12 of the most common problems—and simple ways to deal with them so you get decisions made, time saved, and momentum back.
1) Don’t make the idea-person do the work
Perhaps the worst habit is asking the person with the good idea to implement it: “That’s a very good idea, Joe—will you see that it gets done?” Slothful Steve never suggests anything and avoids the work. Joe learns that speaking up just gives him more to do without credit, so he stops. Better: “That’s a very good idea, Joe. Steve, please get it going by next week and give me a progress report.”
2) Don’t skip introductions and rapport
“We’ll just dive right in” is a mistake. Groups reach consensus faster if they first build a cooperative spirit. Recognise each person, establish rapport, and acknowledge circumstances (even a brief minute’s silence if someone has suffered a loss, and agrees). Time spent on building cohesion shortens the overall meeting. Give time for discussion and absorption. Rushing through the meeting without giving people time to reflect, absorb, and comment, is a waste of the whole meeting.
3) Build a real agenda (not last meeting’s minutes)
Using the previous minutes as the agenda is a waste of everybody’s time. Construct an agenda in advance so people can prepare and think, and have an opportunity to contribute. Start with the most important and contentious issues, otherwise you lose energy at the beginning, and rush through the really important items. Limit the list to what you can actually cover, note future items, and make decisions in the meeting rather than carrying items over. Ensure needed information is available when you issue the minutes. Allow unexpected matters to be added at the start, allocate them a slot, and don’t tackle them immediately. If someone has simply forgotten something, put it on the next agenda.
4) Don’t read the minutes in the meeting
“Some of us haven’t had time to read the minutes” leads to rewarding the lazy and penalising the diligent. Minutes contain actions that should already be done, and they must be read as soon as possible. Send them out on time and emphasise their importance. If they aren’t important, question whether the meeting is needed at all.
5) Invite contributors, brief everyone else
The right people to attend are those who will contribute by being present. For disseminating information, go and brief others personally on what matters to them and what you expect, instead of forcing them to sit through a full meeting.
6) Don’t wait for late arrivals
Waiting punishes punctual people and teaches everyone to be late. Start on time. Never go back to cover what was missed; welcome latecomers, tell them “we’re on page three,” and carry on. If someone apologises, say “Thank you, I accept your apology.” It closes the loop and encourages punctuality next time.
7) Treat phones like adults do
Don’t lecture about phones. Assume maturity. If someone has an occasional important call, allow it or pause briefly. If someone is persistently distracted, say, “Jabula has an important message to send; we’ll wait for him to complete it.” The social pressure solves the problem quickly.
8) Call out the subtle put-down
When a diligent person finishes their tasks, Slothful Steve mutters, “You must have plenty of time—I’ve been too busy.” Don’t attack, but don’t ignore it. Ask Steve what’s keeping him busy and how he’ll deliver by the next meeting. Offer coaching if he keeps deflecting. The point lands without a fight.
9) Stop the parking lot sludge and cliché dodges
If an item is important enough for the “priority list,” it’s important enough to decide. Otherwise, don’t list it. A base of low-priority items that never get decided becomes meeting sludge. Avoid the double bind of “old question, so we never address it” or “new question, so we won’t address it.” And don’t hide behind rhymes and clichés that sound wise but avoid the issue.
10) Don’t present reports that should have been read
If people submit reports, they should be self-explanatory—and read beforehand. If people want to be lead through them, they are not clear. Provide coaching in report writing. If someone hasn’t read them, they may not need to be in the meeting. Discuss outcomes and corrective actions only with the people who manage them; you may not need the whole group.
11) No “devil’s advocate” as a hobby
There’s a difference between sober risk-spotting and pot-shotting. Devils’ advocates who poke holes without constructive alternatives add little. If you can’t show a real flaw in the theory or propose a better option, you’re not helping.
12) Reduce corporate drag and measure decisions
It’s safer to condemn a new idea than to back it. This delays progress. Valuable time is lost chosing the safe option until approval becomes unavoidable. Call this corporate drag. The Patterson Job Evaluation system rates roles by decision-making; likewise, track meeting effectiveness by the ratio of decisions required to decisions made.
A quick close: meetings should create clarity, commitment, and next actions. If your sessions aren’t producing decisions, change the habits—start on time, set a real agenda, assign work to the right people, and measure follow-through. You’ll save time, reduce “corporate drag,” and get better results between meetings.
Related reading:
- Smart ways to cut wasted time and money: How to Control Costs Effectively
- Building financial judgement across the team: Adding Finance to Your Range of Competencies
If meetings keep stalling because the room can’t read the numbers, JSF runs the practical training that turns finance from a barrier into a tool: Finance for Non-Financial Managers for individuals, Budgeting and Cost Control for the people who own the spend, and Finance Training for Managers for L&D-led group bookings.
Meetings improve when the people in them can challenge the numbers being presented. If that is the gap, ask John what would fit your team.
