We're busy doin' nothin' Workin' the whole day through Trying' to find lots of things not to do...
That little ditty is what I actually hear when someone says to me ‘Oh, I’m in back to back meetings all day. What I want to say back is, ‘How awful. When are you going find time to do your job? To get anything done?' Because as sure as Ol’ Blue Eyes liked a game of golf, it is not your job to sit in meetings. I’ll say that again. It is not your job to sit in meetings. Or do conference calls. I’m willing to bet in your job interview the key topic of conversation wasn't how long you’d have to spend in meetings. And it probably wasn’t on the syllabus at college. And it certainly wasn’t what you said in class when you were asked what you wanted to do when you grew up. And the truth of it is that most of the meetings we attend, the calls we sit in on, are pointless. They’re mainly just used to bring everyone up to speed with decisions made higher up the ladder, so the majority of people in the meeting aren’t really adding anything. They’re just sitting there. And that’s a terrible waste of their time. Because that meeting could have been an email. Most of them could have been handled by a tweet they have so little real content. So why do we keep on doing it? Sadly, the answers aren’t great. Firstly, it’s often about visibility. The thinking goes like this. If I call lots of meetings, set up lots of call, attend everything I’m invited to; then lots of people will see me, lots of the time. I’ll look really busy and really important because I’m involved in everything. And it often works, until someone tries to find out exactly what you’ve done against your own KPIs. Secondly it’s about avoiding responsibility. Trying to shift the blame if things go wrong. Psychologists talk about a sociopsychological phenomenon called ‘Diffusion Of Responsibility’ whereby ‘a person is less likely to take responsibility for an action or inaction when other people are present.’ We’ve all heard the unforgivable cry of ‘well so and so was on the call/in the meeting, they should have done something’ rather than seen someone take actually responsibility for a failure.
Lastly, it’s often a good old fashioned bit of ‘bunking off.’ Swinging the lead. A strategy for legitimately avoiding work. A easy way to fill the day. ‘I didn’t do that thing, I’ve been in back to back meetings’ or ‘I can’t do that thing for you, I’m back to back all day’. Which is all fine if to you, winning looks like getting from 9 to 5, 5 days a week without achieving anything. Stretching yourself, making a difference. And doesn’t that feel like a bit of a hollow victory? And if it doesn’t, shouldn’t it? Because it’s a culture which is stopping you from shining. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, it doesn’t make you look busy and important. It’s making you look rude. When you say ‘I’m sorry I can’t see you/hear you/do that thing for you’, what people hear is, ‘I’m sorry you’re just not a priority. You’re not important enough to me.’ But it’s an easy fix. It really is. Stop having meetings. Meetings are where people talk about doing things. Instead, have fewer, working sessions where only a small number of people who can create value are invited. Working sessions are where things get done. Set an objective, an outcome you are looking to achieve. Let attendees know what their role is in the session, what contribution that are expected to make. Give them time to prepare. The result? Time doesn’t get wasted. Stuff gets done. People are more productive. They can also get on with what hey are meant to be getting on with. The organisation becomes more efficient. And there’s even better upsides. Everyone gets time to pause. To think. To consider. It’s widely accepted that creativity and innovation require time. Not something you have when your whole culture is built around the ‘back to back mentality’. Better still you can carve out time to support your team, to help others, to contribute to the collective success. An old boss of mine used to religiously keep Tuesday and Thursday mornings clear to be there for his team. Every Tuesday and Thursday, without fail. He made sure that we didn’t fail.