Greg Born's Blog
May 21, 2025
Is Your Calendar a Graveyard of Wasted Hours? (1 Simple Thing to Slay the Meeting Monster)
In my last post, I talked about the "Leadership Fog" and how my book, "
Be A Better Leader: 1 Simple Thing
" aims to be your machete to cut through it. Today, I want to zoom in on one of the biggest fog machines in any workplace: the dreaded pointless meeting.
Sound familiar? Most of us have sat through those calendar-cloggers where you walk out an hour later thinking, "What on earth did we actually achieve?" It's frustrating, a massive time-suck, and a prime example of unnecessary complexity.
But what if there was 1 Simple Thing you could do to start reclaiming that time and transforming those meetings from soul-crushing obligations into productive work sessions?
Here it is: Demand a clear, specific, tangible OUTCOME for every single meeting before it even hits your calendar.
That’s it. That’s the "1 Simple Thing" for meetings.
If you’re the organizer, you must be able to articulate precisely what decision needs to be made, what plan needs to be created, or what problem must be solved by the end of that session.
If you’re invited, and the outcome isn't glaringly obvious, politely ask: "To make sure I prepare effectively, could you clarify the specific outcome we're aiming for?"
This single discipline forces clarity upfront. It makes you question if a meeting is even necessary (often, it's not – an email or a quick chat would do). It ensures the right people are there (only those essential to the outcome). It makes crafting a focused agenda almost effortless. Suddenly, meetings stop being vague talk-fests and start becoming targeted opportunities to drive real results.
This principle of demanding an outcome is just one of the practical, actionable disciplines we dive into in "Be A Better Leader: 1 Simple Thing." It's about equipping you with simple tools to make a tangible difference in how you lead and how your team performs.
What’s your biggest meeting pet peeve? And how are you thinking this "outcome-first" approach might help?
Cheers,
Greg
Greg Born
Sound familiar? Most of us have sat through those calendar-cloggers where you walk out an hour later thinking, "What on earth did we actually achieve?" It's frustrating, a massive time-suck, and a prime example of unnecessary complexity.
But what if there was 1 Simple Thing you could do to start reclaiming that time and transforming those meetings from soul-crushing obligations into productive work sessions?
Here it is: Demand a clear, specific, tangible OUTCOME for every single meeting before it even hits your calendar.
That’s it. That’s the "1 Simple Thing" for meetings.
If you’re the organizer, you must be able to articulate precisely what decision needs to be made, what plan needs to be created, or what problem must be solved by the end of that session.
If you’re invited, and the outcome isn't glaringly obvious, politely ask: "To make sure I prepare effectively, could you clarify the specific outcome we're aiming for?"
This single discipline forces clarity upfront. It makes you question if a meeting is even necessary (often, it's not – an email or a quick chat would do). It ensures the right people are there (only those essential to the outcome). It makes crafting a focused agenda almost effortless. Suddenly, meetings stop being vague talk-fests and start becoming targeted opportunities to drive real results.
This principle of demanding an outcome is just one of the practical, actionable disciplines we dive into in "Be A Better Leader: 1 Simple Thing." It's about equipping you with simple tools to make a tangible difference in how you lead and how your team performs.
What’s your biggest meeting pet peeve? And how are you thinking this "outcome-first" approach might help?
Cheers,
Greg
Greg Born
May 18, 2025
From the Cockpit to the Corner Office: Why "1 Simple Thing" Became My Leadership Machete
I wanted to share a bit about the journey that led to my book, "Be A Better Leader: 1 Simple Thing."
Leadership wasn't forged in a quiet library; it was hammered out over decades in some pretty dynamic environments. We all learn from learning / doing / making mistakes (and hopefully learning from them) and having successes along the way. I’ve had the privilege of leading as a U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy pilot, where clarity, precision, and an unwavering focus on the mission are literally matters of life and death. Later, I navigated the complex terrains of Fortune 500 companies and the whirlwind pace of both mid-sized companies and startups as a senior executive.
Across all these experiences, from the structured world of military aviation to the often-chaotic landscape of modern business, I kept seeing the same patterns. I saw incredibly talented people bogged down by unnecessary complexity. I saw brilliant strategies stall because of indecision or poor communication. I saw potential squandered because of what I call the "Leadership Fog" – that overwhelming sense that things are just too complicated, too messy, too much.
There had to be a simpler way.
Over the years, I started collecting those ‘aha!’ moments, those practical, battle-tested fixes that actually cut through the noise and delivered real results. These weren't grand, sweeping theories, but often simple, actionable things. This collection of hard-won insights, often jotted down as notes-to-self after a tough day or a breakthrough moment, became the foundation for "Be A Better Leader: 1 Simple Thing."
The core idea is this: you don't need to master fifty complex leadership models to make a significant impact. Often, the biggest improvements come from identifying and consistently applying 1 Simple Thing in each critical area of leadership. Taking baby steps and making incremental improvements. It’s about practical clarity, focusing your energy where it counts, and making tangible progress. It’s the same kind of focused, no-nonsense approach I explore in my upcoming book, Built to Soar: Stop Flying Blind.
Whether you're leading a team, a project, or just striving to make a bigger impact in your current role, the path to becoming a better leader isn't about adding more to your plate; it's about doing less, better. It's about finding those simple, high-leverage actions that can truly transform your effectiveness and the performance of those around you.
I wrote "Be A Better Leader: 1 Simple Thing" to be that practical machete to help you cut through your own leadership fog. I'm excited to share these ideas and look forward to hearing your thinking!
What's one area of leadership where you're thinking a "simple thing" could make a big difference for you right now?
Cheers,
Greg
Leadership wasn't forged in a quiet library; it was hammered out over decades in some pretty dynamic environments. We all learn from learning / doing / making mistakes (and hopefully learning from them) and having successes along the way. I’ve had the privilege of leading as a U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy pilot, where clarity, precision, and an unwavering focus on the mission are literally matters of life and death. Later, I navigated the complex terrains of Fortune 500 companies and the whirlwind pace of both mid-sized companies and startups as a senior executive.
Across all these experiences, from the structured world of military aviation to the often-chaotic landscape of modern business, I kept seeing the same patterns. I saw incredibly talented people bogged down by unnecessary complexity. I saw brilliant strategies stall because of indecision or poor communication. I saw potential squandered because of what I call the "Leadership Fog" – that overwhelming sense that things are just too complicated, too messy, too much.
There had to be a simpler way.
Over the years, I started collecting those ‘aha!’ moments, those practical, battle-tested fixes that actually cut through the noise and delivered real results. These weren't grand, sweeping theories, but often simple, actionable things. This collection of hard-won insights, often jotted down as notes-to-self after a tough day or a breakthrough moment, became the foundation for "Be A Better Leader: 1 Simple Thing."
The core idea is this: you don't need to master fifty complex leadership models to make a significant impact. Often, the biggest improvements come from identifying and consistently applying 1 Simple Thing in each critical area of leadership. Taking baby steps and making incremental improvements. It’s about practical clarity, focusing your energy where it counts, and making tangible progress. It’s the same kind of focused, no-nonsense approach I explore in my upcoming book, Built to Soar: Stop Flying Blind.
Whether you're leading a team, a project, or just striving to make a bigger impact in your current role, the path to becoming a better leader isn't about adding more to your plate; it's about doing less, better. It's about finding those simple, high-leverage actions that can truly transform your effectiveness and the performance of those around you.
I wrote "Be A Better Leader: 1 Simple Thing" to be that practical machete to help you cut through your own leadership fog. I'm excited to share these ideas and look forward to hearing your thinking!
What's one area of leadership where you're thinking a "simple thing" could make a big difference for you right now?
Cheers,
Greg
