Let’s get this year started ON TIME

New year new me.

New Year’s Resolutions are like performance reviews: if everyone fixed bad habits as they happened, they’d be totally unnecessary.

But we’re humans. We don’t. Even after the once a year reminder. (It’s funny because it’s true.)

I do have a resolution though: start every meeting on time.

I stumbled across this Inc article – “Want to Instantly Become a Better Leader? Science Says Meetings That Don’t Start on Time Are a Third Less Effective.” (here)

I was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t another virtue signaling opinion piece. It used actual data. A 2018 Study from the Journal of Organized Behavior discussed how late starting meetings are 1/3 less effective. (here)

The tldr:

👉Late starts = less time to accomplish things.

Duh.

👉The people who show up on time fill the void talking about whatever to kill time.

But this actually makes it harder to get the meeting started. And sets the tone for more interruptions and off-topic tangents.

👉Ineffective meetings creates the need for more meetings.

You know, to do all the things you couldn’t get accomplished the first time.

👉You have too many meetings and everyone hates them.

So yeah. New Year. New you. Start your meetings on time.

Tune in tomorrow for the next installment of “why meetings suck” when I go hard in the paint on Long Talkers.

James Hornick

Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.