Speed: How Leaders Accelerate Successful Execution

CHAPTER 7

ACCELERATE MEETINGS

A meeting moves at the speed of the slowest mindin the room. In other words, all but one participantwill be bored, all but one mind underused.

—DALE DAUTEN

It is estimated that 15 percent of every manager’s workweek is spent in meetings. One of the most frequent written complaints people make about their bosses in our 360-degree assessments zeros in on the quality of their meetings. Complaints range from meetings with no agenda, lack of clear purpose for each agenda topic, no advance information or background materials, lack of making a decision, absence of any follow-through, and the snail’s pace of the meeting.

A leader with accelerated speed and pace greatly increases the likelihood of a productive meeting. ...