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