Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Should we be having this meeting? Here is another test that would eliminate many meetings.

Should we be having this meeting? Should all of us be sitting around a table or standing in a circle (stand up meetings are supposed to be short and necessary, right?)?

Here is one type of meeting that should never occur:

A 45-minute staff meeting in which the designated leader blabbs about how miserable his life is all the while hoping the rest of us will be sympathetic.

Sigh. Yes, I have attended thousands of these. No, none of them were necessary.

The designated leader is “above” everyone else in the room. Everyone else feels pressure to agree with the designated leader. After all, the designated leader can say bad things about us on that day when salary increases are discussed.

The designated leader has a captive audience. Here comes the misery and woe. Grin and bear it. This will all be over after the designated hour has elapsed.

This fails yet another meeting test. Let’s do better.