Meetings Suck: Turning One of the Most Loathed Elements of Business into One of the Most Valuable

by Cameron Herold

We all know that meetings suck, right?

You hear it all the time. It's the one thing that almost everyone in business can agree on.

Except it's not actually true. Meetings don't suck—we suck at running meetings. When done right, meetings not only work, they make people and companies better.

In Meetings Suck, world renowned business expert and growth guru Cameron Herold teaches you how to use focused, time effective meetings to help you and your company soar.

This book shows you immediately actionable, step-by-step systems that ensure that you and everyone in your organization improves your meetings, right away.

In the process, you'll turn meetings that suck into meetings that work.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Leadership, Productivity, Professional Development, Management, Buisness

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2016

Reviews

[Jonk]

They do

[Mark Villareal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title may make you laugh but it is so true. I have worked for organizations that have meetings to plan their next meetings. We all know the feeling of never-ending meetings and meeting with no direction or substance. The author defines the keys and steps for anyone to define effective meetings that everyone would appreciate. In fact, as a leader, if you follow the author's process you will be known for running effective meetings, and your staff will appreciate you for it.

[Natalie Shawver · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've never worked in the corporate world, you probably don't know much about meetings (other than they happen). Town halls, huddles, one-on-ones, QBRs, summits ... the list goes on and on. Meetings make up roughly 20% of an employee's day, which can be pretty costly if you work on an hourly basis. Each meeting has a function and depending on your role, you'll be invited to just a few ... or a lot.

Meetings Suck was a quick read—breaking down the purpose of a meeting, who to invite, the importance of having an agenda, roles within the meeting and the various types of meeting options. It reminded readers that some items can be emailed, but others are much better suited to be discussed in-person or virtually (because body language and tone don't translate will in the written word). I'd suggest this book to either a new business owner who needs to get his or her team up and running or a recent college grad who is about to start their first job in the corporate world. There wasn't anything groundbreaking in the book, but it was a nice refresher for even a seasoned professional.

BTW, if you're wondering ... it was requested that I read this upon starting my new job ... this wasn't something I grabbed off a shelf myself haha.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a part of a team, coach or player, you’ll probably end up in a meeting. If you do, this short read will probably help you get more out of those meetings.

Not a page-turner, but a good resource.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think my team needs to read this book. Not so much because our meetings suck per se, but there's some nice little points about growth, being heard, transparency, and accountability that all would have a place to land (though if I could just ensure fertile ground for those points...).

Even some of the meeting types that didn't sound relevant to my academic (not corporate) setting still offered some ideas that resonated, at least personally. E.g. I don't do budgets but I'd like to know more about what's going on there, so I appreciated the author's calls for transparency. The longer-term strategy meetings also seem like an excellent call -- let's see, minus three months...May/June should be ours. Wonder if I can get this book adopted to that end (and others) by that time.

The only time I'm skeptical of, both on a personal and logistics level, is the twice-daily huddle. Really? And just not feasible for us as a department with our schedules and obligations that all vary from day-to-day and week-to-week. Maybe if just the FT librarians huddle, but there's only 2-3 of us, and we're tight communication-wise, sooooo. But that's fine. Well, and the weekly(?) one-on-one check-ins, which could be 30-60 min a pop. I appreciate the concept (and even more his encouragement to make them sacrosanct in your schedule and not skipped or deferred), but yow, that's a lot. Still, take a concept, alter to fit.

I also wish a few more strategies were provided for getting the quiet members of a meeting to contribute, especially as a meeting structure kind of strategy and not just "leader, shut up and let the group talk first so your authority doesn't smother." We've got people who maybe agree with what's being said so don't feel inclined to speak up with even an "agreed" (maybe head-nodding, though). We've got people who are just timid and don't like a spotlight, even in our small and familiar group, and surely there's alternatives to forever saying "person, what do you think?" But having clear agendas and outcomes pre-meeting may help with that -- it's certainly a conclusion we eventually realized for ourselves (being a horde of introverts) but now need to steer our leader towards.

Skipping/cancelling meetings is referred to as a "slippery slope," but no more exploration was given. I agree with that... but would like more commentary to chew on, especially in contrast to meeting advice to just cancel if there's nothing for the agenda rather than waste everyone's time. (And in contrast to the encouragement for teams to be able to run meetings even if the boss or others can't attend.) Obviously an examination of why regular meetings regularly have unfulfilled agendas is an issue the team needs to solve, and maybe that's a dysfunction beyond the scope of this book. There's deeper roots to some issues in my world for which the meetings are just a symptom.

So, as business books go... This one did not, to my surprise, suck.

[Vanessa Princessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book thanks to Blinkist.

The key message in this book:

It’s true what they say: time is money, especially in the corporate world. So to make sure you’re not wasting people’s time and throwing money away, meetings need to be both effective and efficient. Holding regularly scheduled meetings is still the best way to communicate and get everyone on the same page. But that’s not all – meetings can also improve employee skill sets, strengthen teams and help build the very foundation of your company’s values and goals.

Actionable advice:

If an employee says they don’t want to attend a meeting, respect that.

You should foster a culture where employees take the initiative to read the agenda and decide for themselves whether or not to attend a meeting. Far from being lazy, a well-organized employee may realize that they cannot contribute anything.

Suggested further reading:

Reinventing Organization by Frederic Laloux

Reinventing Organizations discusses why companies around the world are getting rid of bosses, introducing flat hierarchies and pursuing purpose over profit. And ultimately, by adopting a non-hierarchical model, these organizations thrive.

[Sakib Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who’s ever worked in an office knows just how terrible meetings can be. They can interrupt workflow, disrupting your whole day, and sometimes they feel like a mere platform for the most extroverted, outspoken colleague to talk at you for an hour. Perhaps even worse, sometimes they feel like no more than a long-winded rehashing of information you’re already familiar with.

It doesn’t have to be like this. Meetings are essential to a smooth-running company; unfortunately, many leaders don’t know how to use them effectively. These blinks will – hopefully! – remedy that.

It’s true what they say: time is money, especially in the corporate world. So to make sure you’re not wasting people’s time and throwing money away, meetings need to be both effective and efficient. Holding regularly scheduled meetings is still the best way to communicate and get everyone on the same page. But that’s not all – meetings can also improve employee skill sets, strengthen teams and help build the very foundation of your company’s values and goals.

[Ryan Twitchel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great insights but occasionally some information is presented as one-size-fits-all but isn’t always the best structure for different organizations. Most of the direct application is suited for executives or people who are jumping from one meeting to another fairly often.

That being said, this book has absolutely helped me to lead better meetings and given me tools to pass on to my leaders to consistently lead their meetings more effectively as well. The most helpful tips were around a giving roles to attendees (note-taker, time keeper, etc), driving engagement and pulling in reluctant participants well, and clarifying meeting purposes with better agendas.

[Alejandro Davila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opener!

I have worked in the QSR business for over 25 years. The different hats I wear entitled me to constant communication either virtually or face to face, it is quite surprising how little guidance and materials are out there that consolidate and put together a magnificent set of systems to run productive meetings as Cameron puts it in this book.
Highly recommended it to leaders of all levels.
Thanks for the new window I was able to open with this great book.

A. Davila

[Dag Kvittem]

Feel time is wasted on meetings? Read this and get some pointers on what is important and why meetings need to be held.
Gives good advice on how to turn around meetings and a valuable read for anyone wanting to make meetings worthwile. No agenda - no attenda should be used by every person having to many meetings during the week. The book comes with many recipes and examples, but it needs to be adapted to your firm/corporation/system as it is difficult to benchmark regarding corporate vs government systems.

[Annette Fasone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish There Were More Details

This book definitely gives some good advice but old have used more detail on how to fix common problems - like keeping meeting members engaged and helping to make sure everyone feels comfortable speaking up.
This book also doesn’t work for all companies. I work for a creative agency and the types of meetings we have most frequently aren’t mentioned in this book at all. If you work at a standard old-school type company, this will likely be more helpful for you than it was for me.

[Pepijn Vermeulen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very concise and well written book. Learned a lot about the cost/benefit analysis of meetings.

It also full of tips on how to run them more effectively/efficiently and what sort of meetings are essential in a growing business. It is clearly explained how to implement them in your company, so the book is quite action oriented.

The one thing I felt was lacking from the book was a chapter on best practices or tips for each role (moderator, facilitator, ...). Considering the book can be read in 2-3 hours, there was definitely space to include it.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly didn't find it super useful at this point in my career. Especially in an association. This was clearly written from a guy who has been at C level for many years who wrote to those at those level. And then decided to be like "And the rest" during the book.

Only inviting essential people, asking why you are here, and other practices he recommended are good advice and good to keep in mind. I wouldn't read this without getting others at your work involved.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like other reviewers observed, if you've been working for a while, you've already figured out some of the key strategies this book identifies. But I will admit that there were a few "refreshers" on strategies. And even if a particular meeting type isn't applicable to my job, it provides some brain storming opportunities to improve meeting function. So in short, no rocket science here, but a good refresher for how to make meetings more efficient, productive, and...well....less sucky.

[Adama]

Good advices for beginners but won't help experienced managers

If you are a new leader struggling to find your way in how to handle the many meetings coming your way, this book can help.

However, if you are an experienced manager who have handled few meetings, you would've come across most of the tools and techniques provided in the book.

[Taylor K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as meetings should be TO THE POINT. This book was, as well. A quick, thought-provoking read that will absolutely play a part in editing how I run meetings as a COO. The entire book is about taking ACTION, not just a bunch of fluffy theories about why meetings suck, but how to actually make changes to make sure they don’t. Highly recommend for any leadership or C-suite.

[Brad Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great blueprint to properly run meetings

Short powerful read that every organization can learn from, just as Cameron says to run meetings, this book cuts out the fluff and gets right to it.

[Jan Kaeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid strategies, Insightful tips

Practical, insightful tips on getting the most out of various types of meetings and how to utilize them to develop organizations and people. Excellent read.

[Elijah C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good read and worth my time, although at times a bit dry and repetitive, and also a few weird writings, like a contradiction for why you can't have huddle meetings virtually and then 4 paragraphs after explaining about people who actually do.

[Matt Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just okay.

A lot of the book stems from common business practices or other business books. It doesnt add any revelations as to how to make meetings more engaging other than involve the right people and dont waste their time.

[don cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Read and Great Ideas you can apply

Such a great book that every business should use to make your use of meetings effective and productive. Get your entire team to read it - I did.

[Alan Carrillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are other books that give you more information. The HBR books would be where I would start. This by itself though? If you've been working in a white collar job within the last decade, you've probably already heard most of the information in this.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is says on the tin

Excellent short book on how to turn potential time wasting activities into useful constructive time. Recommended for multiple levels from top to bottom.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book. Interesting insights. Few new takeaways. Specifically, liked the use of roles in a meeting and setting an agenda with times.

[Quharrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth it

It will only take you about an hour to read this book and you're certainly going to learn something new about how to properly run a meeting within that hour.

[Louis B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Few good tips. Simple read. 3 stars.

[Matt Ulrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some basic principles but a few great nuggets that I took away for hosting effective meetings.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you feel you have to read a book on meetings, this is the one to read.

[Michael Dubakov · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to fish 10% of useful things in 90% water. The good thing is that these 10% are practical, but the bad thing is that 90% are muddy.

[Eliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise book on the basics of making meetings work.