Last week, we decided that our company would no longer hold meetings.
Even when only two people are involved, there’s something about having a “meeting” that sucks up all of the energy and increases the chances of a perfectly pleasant or productive day turning into a mess.
In this new meeting-free company, we still get together and we still discuss important issues related to the business. We even sometimes talk with people outside of the company. The difference is that we don’t “have meetings.”
At first glance, the difference between an “in-person proposal-writing collaboration” and holding a “proposal-writing meeting” would just seem to be semantic. But, it’s certainly much more. With the removal of the word “meeting”, not having meetings is already making us more creative and deliberate. Our occasional strategy talk might be listed on the calendar as a “symposium.” A 2-hour time where we’re going over edits to a chapter might be considered a “clambake.” Everyone knows that symposiums and clambakes are special events.
What do you think? Could a no-meeting policy be successful at your company or organization? And, should brainstorming sessions also be eliminated?