How to Stop Running Every Meeting Like a Hostage Situation
Your meetings are not an episode of 24. Learn how to run them like a leader, not a kidnapper.
Published under The Leadership Hat on HatStacked.com
You walk into the conference room with your coffee, someone sighs like they’re about to enter a dentist’s office, and suddenly your “quick sync” turns into a hostage situation that lasts 90 minutes.
Meetings aren’t inherently bad. The problem is how we run them. In a small business, meetings can either be the grease that keeps things moving or the gum in your shoe that slows everything down. Most of the time, they’re the gum.
If your team is dreading every calendar invite you send, you’re not running meetings, you’re running marathons of misery. Let’s fix that.
Why Small Businesses Are Meeting Addicts
It feels productive to gather everyone in one place and talk. You feel like the boss, people nod, there’s coffee. But beneath the surface, your business is quietly bleeding money and time.
That 45-minute Monday morning meeting with six employees? At $25/hour average wage, that’s $112.50 gone. Every week. And that’s if it stays at 45 minutes, which it never does. Multiply that by a year and suddenly your "team bonding" costs more than the breakroom coffee machine.
Signs You’re Running Meetings Like a Hostage Situation
- No agenda: You just “wing it.” Everyone regrets it.
- Everyone attends: Even people who have no stake in the outcome.
- Rambling: Someone is sharing a story about their neighbor’s dog, and nobody knows why.
- Lack of outcomes: You leave with more questions than answers.
- Recurring without reason: That Tuesday 2 p.m. meeting exists because it has always existed.
If this sounds familiar, it’s time for an intervention.
The Fix: Running Meetings That Work
Here’s how to avoid being the human embodiment of a wasted calendar alert.
1. Have a Point
If you can’t articulate the purpose of your meeting in one sentence, cancel it. “Talk about stuff” isn’t a purpose.
2. Invite Fewer People
Not everyone needs to be there. Think quality over quantity. Invite only those directly affected or responsible.
3. Set an Agenda
Yes, even if it’s short. Three bullet points beat the endless abyss of “so, what’s new?”
4. Respect the Clock
Set an end time and honor it like it’s payroll day. If you finish early, dismiss the class. Nobody will complain.
5. End with Actions
Every meeting should produce decisions, owners, and deadlines. Otherwise, it wasn’t a meeting, it was a social hour.
When to Replace Meetings
- Status updates: Use Slack, Google Docs, or project management software.
- One-on-one questions: Handle them directly.
- “Brainstorming”: Often, people think better alone. Collect input asynchronously, then meet to decide.
Meetings should be like expensive wine... rare, purposeful, and appreciated. Not like boxed wine at every meal.
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