Meetings are useful tools to solve many organizational problems. They can also become a waste of time and, even disaster, if not handled skillfully. It’s in the meetings where wars come to an end– or get started. The person who leads the meeting has the most important role.
I remember a meeting in an office where all the senior-level officials were asked to join on a short notice. The meeting wasn’t on my schedule. The staff who called me said she didn’t know the details. Even if the details had been known, there wouldn’t have been enough time to prepare.
A PowerPoint Presentation rolled on the screen. It was based on a report prepared by a team of consultants, led by a former high-level bureaucrat. The meeting had been organized at the request of the team leader to collect feedback from other senior level bureaucrats.
Only a few people commented. Most of us hadn’t received the report. Above all, the participants didn’t get enough time to give whatever feedback they had prepared on the basis of the presentation. The team leader did most of the talking. He spoke at great length and tried to appear like “Mr. Know-It-All”. By virtue of his background as the senior-most official, none of us weren’t in the mood to cross him. By the time he finished his talking, the meeting was already coming to a wrap up.
In many ways, the meeting was a big waste of time. I still call this the worst meeting of my job life.