Reverse engineering meetings
It’s easy to feel that meetings are a waste of time.
“Too much talk, not enough action” frustrates some people.
This seems especially true when the “talk” is mostly complaints.
But I want you to reverse engineer your meeting.
Pretend the meeting is an opaque, black box system.
The visible outputs are what is said, and how things are said, and how people act.
Now ask yourself:
- What unseen rules could create such a meeting?
- What unspoken needs are being met?
- What invisible outcomes might be accomplished?
Your meetings aren’t broken – the system just isn’t seeking the goal you want.
But it is seeking a goal.
The outputs follow the rules and meet the needs, of those in the meeting.
You just can’t see them, yet.
But with these questions, you can.
Let me know what happens.
Stay curious,
Marcus