Do you need that meeting?

As a manager, you’ll run and be a part of many types of meetings. Before we talk about the different reasons to call a meeting, let’s start with considering if a meeting is needed in the first place.

• Is the goal to make a decision that requires 3 or more people’s input?

• Is it a complex issue that will likely cause back and forth in an email?

• Is the goal to build camaraderie and share info with a group?

If the answer is yes to one or more of these question, then a meeting makes sense. The questions don’t stop there:

• Do you have a clear agenda?

• Can you send out prep work ample time before the meeting so everyone can contribute?

Then, yes, continue to schedule.

Will the meeting be more than 30 minutes? If yes, reconsider the questions above, review your agenda and determine what can be done via email to streamline the meeting and its goals.

These rules aren’t hard and fast but meant to give some structure around this age old question “do we need that meeting?”