We All Hate Meetings—Here’s How to Make Them Work

Meetings frequently drain corporate productivity, with roughly 30% of work time spent in sessions that many employees consider ineffective or wasteful. Addressing this requires a fundamental shift in management training, as most leaders receive no formal guidance on facilitating productive discussions. Effective meeting cultures prioritize clear agendas, smaller participant groups, and a focus on decision-making rather than status updates. Companies like Amazon demonstrate success by replacing standard presentations with pre-read memos, ensuring attendees arrive prepared. Paul English, co-founder of Kayak and author of *The Meeting Book*, emphasizes that leaders should treat meetings as a competitive advantage by measuring their impact through employee surveys and actively pruning calendars. When meetings are necessary, they should serve to foster relationships and drive concrete action, rather than acting as a default setting for corporate communication.