Too many meetings? Try this.
It's about information, control, and trust.
Most of us are stuck in a strange situation: everyone complains about too many meetings, yet our calendars are full of them. This happens whether you're meeting with bosses, colleagues, or team members. The gap between what we say we want and what we actually do points to deeper workplace patterns worth looking into.
This article stems from a conversation I had a while ago.
Why Meetings Multiply and How to Reduce Them
Reason 1: Information Need
People schedule meetings because they feel they don't have enough information. They think they can't do their job well without updates from you, or they worry about missing important details. This worry often comes from past situations where they needed information but couldn't find it.
Solutions:
Share information in writing before being asked - Set up a regular schedule for updates that answers questions before people need to ask, cutting down on check-in meetings.
Build easy-to-read dashboards - Visual displays of key numbers give quick status updates that satisfy information needs without requiring talks.
Send out regular document updates - Well-organized documents delivered on a predictable schedule build confidence that people will get important information without requesting meetings.
Reason 2: Control Desire
Stakeholders want to see how work is progressing and in what direction. They need to feel sure that projects align with their goals. This feeling gets stronger during uncertain times or when projects are very important to the company.
Solutions:
Show your planning process clearly - Open planning tools show that you're thinking carefully about priorities, reassuring stakeholders that work is moving forward in an organized way.
Keep backlogs/roadmaps visible to everyone - Accessible priority lists let stakeholders see how their needs fit into the bigger picture without needing explanation meetings.
Set clear goals with management - Written agreements about what success looks like create shared understanding that reduces the need for frequent alignment talks.
Share how decisions are made - Clear frameworks for making choices build confidence in your judgment and reduce the feeling that others need to be involved in routine decisions.
Reason 3: Trust Deficit
When people don't fully trust you to deliver results, they try to keep closer watch on your work. This shows up as more frequent check-ins, detailed status requests, and involvement in decisions they might otherwise leave to you.
Solutions: While there's no quick fix, you can build trust faster by:
Mentioning similar work you've done before ("I've done this successfully at Company X") - Real examples of your past work provide evidence that you can handle similar challenges well.
Being open about both successes and problems - Talking about issues before others discover them shows confidence and maturity, which actually increases trust even when sharing difficulties.
Bringing up big issues reliably - Consistently sharing problems as soon as you find them builds your reputation as someone who provides reliable information, not just good news.
By addressing the root causes of meetings - information gaps, control needs, and trust deficits - we create space for truly valuable collaboration. The most respected teams aren't those who meet constantly, but those who meet deliberately, with clear purpose and outcomes.
What I read
As usual, I will list some of the best articles I read on the Internet. I will keep a list of the best articles (currently >900) at https://www.digital-product-management.com. These are today’s picks:
Think Like a VC When Evaluating a Startup Role: A venture capitalist inspired checklist for choosing your next startup role.
Public Speaking: How to prepare: Practical techniques for amplifying your presence, finding your voice, and transforming into someone who takes action and builds confidence.
Cross-functional Teamwork: Who is responsible for what in cross-functional teams?
I like the points you bring and yet I think that you are missing a part that is potentially the biggest driver of meetings: keeping busy and avoiding accountability.
Being seen as busy is crucial to justify one’s position, promotion and power, and meetings are the politically acceptable way to stay busy, as you can always claim “alignment” or “knowledge sharing” and no one can push back against that.
Avoiding accountability is just human nature and meetings are, again, the perfect escape route: bring it to a broader team and you will walk out sure that nobody will ever point the finger.
Of course meetings can be tremendously useful, if organized well (agenda, objective, preparation needed) and if chaired by a leader that has the balls to end by clarifying accountability, responsibilities and timelines.
It’s just hard to meet this criterion, because it requires going against the system inertia, which is incredibly tough and makes you instantly annoying/dangerous.