If You Hate Meetings, Read This
Unfortunately, we’ve all been there…
You join a meeting with no agenda, no clear goal, and no one really running the show. People talk in circles. You leave wondering why it couldn’t have just been an email... or better yet, not happened at all.
If your meetings suck — it’s time to try something new.
Here’s a ridiculously simple 3-part formula to run meetings that don’t waste everyone’s time (including yours):
1. Start with a Clear Purpose
No one should walk into a meeting wondering why it’s happening.
Are we making a decision? Sharing updates? Solving a problem? Moving a project forward?
Whatever it is — name it. Write it at the top of the agenda. Say it out loud at the start. “The purpose of today’s meeting is to _______.” Done.
👉 If you can’t name the purpose in one or two sentence… cancel the meeting.
2. Assign a Facilitator
Every meeting needs a driver. Otherwise, we’re just passengers on a very slow bus to nowhere.
The facilitator is the person who:
Keeps the group focused on the goal
Manages the flow of conversation
Keeps things on time
Calls it when the purpose has been achieved (or clearly isn’t going to be)
Bonus tip: If you're the leader, this doesn't always have to be you — but you do have to make sure it’s someone!
3. Appoint a “Meeting Watchdog”
This one doesn’t get enough love.
The meeting watchdog is the person who listens with an ear for:
What decisions are being made
What action items come out of it
What needs to be followed up on
They’re the one who sends the post-meeting summary, captures next steps, and makes sure nothing slips through the cracks.
Sometimes, the facilitator can double as the watchdog. But if it’s a big or high-stakes meeting? Divide and conquer.
No More “That Could’ve Been an Email” Meetings
Better meetings aren’t about fancy tools or long agendas — they’re about clarity, leadership, and follow-through.
If you want to run a more effective team, start with this:
✔️ Know the purpose
✔️ Assign a facilitator
✔️ Appoint a watchdog
Simple. Powerful. And way more productive.
-
[00:00:00] if your meetings suck, it's time to try something new. So this is a three part suggestion. Number one, your meeting should always have a purpose. No one should ever enter a meeting and have no idea what you're gonna talk about.
This could be a decision that needs to be made, information that needs to be shared in a specific way, something to move a project along. But there should always be a purpose. So part two is you gotta have somebody driving towards that purpose. This is your meeting facilitator.
They are the one who makes sure that we stick to the agenda, we're driving towards the outcomes ,we're not leaving until we have solved the thing we are there to solve. And part three, an unsung hero, the meeting watchdog.
The meeting watchdog is the one that is paying attention in case there are action items, decisions made, follow up stuff that might need to go in an email or keep a project moving forward. Sometimes the facilitator and the watchdog can be one and the same.
But not always. So there you have it.
Meeting should have a purpose. Should always have a facilitator. Making sure [00:01:00] we stay on task and have a watchdog who not only takes note of what happens, but sends it out in a follow up email. Here's to a week of high performance.