Running a Killer Meeting (or Canceling It)
Most teams have a meeting problem.
Too many, too long, and too pointless.
The best managers know the secret isn’t just running better meetings.
It’s knowing which ones shouldn’t happen at all.
Every meeting either adds clarity and momentum—or it wastes time and trust.
Great managers make sure their meetings do the first, not the second.
Why It Matters:
Culture: Bad meetings create frustration and disengagement.
Performance: Clear, tight meetings drive focus and faster execution.
Retention: People want to work where their time is respected.
What Most Managers Overlook:
They default to scheduling a meeting when an email, Slack, or 1:1 could work better.
When Stewart Butterfield led Slack through rapid growth, he famously challenged teams to cancel unnecessary meetings. It wasn’t about cutting time for the sake of it. It was about making sure meetings were worth the time.
How to Get It Right:
Set a clear purpose: Why are we meeting? What decision or action should come out of it?
Keep the invite list tight—only the people who need to be there.
Timebox the agenda and stick to it.
Cancel the meeting if there’s no real need or no new information to discuss.
Always end with clear actions and owners.
Do:
✅ Have an agenda and stick to it
✅ Invite only the people who need to contribute
✅ Cancel when the meeting isn’t worth the time
Don’t:
❌ Meet just because it’s on the calendar
❌ Let meetings drift without outcomes
❌ Waste people’s time with status updates that could be shared another way
A killer meeting creates clarity.
A pointless one kills momentum.
Learn the difference.