“Why Meetings Are Dreadful: It’s Not the Meeting, It’s the Madness”
Op-Ed
-Warren
Ah, meetings—the bane of many a professional’s existence. You know the drill: you block off an hour on your calendar, prepare yourself mentally (and maybe grab a strong coffee), and march into the conference room or log into the VTC call with a sense of impending doom. But why is it that so many of us dread these gatherings? Spoiler alert: it’s not the meetings themselves. It’s what happens—or doesn’t happen—before and during them that drives us up the wall.
1. The Senior Leader Showdown
Let’s start with the main event: the senior leaders. Picture this—you’re sitting there, presenting your meticulously prepared data, and suddenly, the room goes quiet. You see that one senior leader, perched at the head of the table, giving you the look. You know the one. It’s that squint that says, “I’m about to turn this meeting into a cross-examination.”
Now, it’s not that we don’t respect our senior leaders. We do. But let’s be honest, when they start picking apart your presentation like it’s the finale of a cooking competition, it’s no wonder we’re sweating bullets. It’s like showing up to a spelling bee and realizing the judge is Merriam-Webster. Instead of being a collaborative discussion, the meeting turns into a gladiator arena where your data is put to the test, and you’re the one holding the sword—or in this case, the PowerPoint clicker.
2. The “Why Didn’t You Tell Me Sooner” Syndrome
And then there’s the classic move: senior leaders troubleshooting your data during the meeting itself. Now, don’t get me wrong, constructive feedback is great. But here’s the kicker—why is it that these nuggets of wisdom only come to light during the meeting?
Imagine you’re playing a game of Monopoly, and suddenly someone pulls out the rulebook and says, “Oh, by the way, you’ve been doing it all wrong.” Couldn’t this have been brought to my attention, say, before I landed on Boardwalk with four hotels? The same goes for meetings. If the feedback is so critical, wouldn’t it have been helpful to get it before the big showdown, so we could all be on the same page? Instead, we’re left feeling like we walked into an exam we didn’t study for because, well, the syllabus was never handed out.
3. The Higher Echelon Hurdle
Finally, there’s the issue of higher echelons swooping in with their last-minute critiques. We’re all for expertise and insight, but it’s a bit like watching a sports game where the referees decide to start coaching the teams halfway through. “Hey, that play you just ran? Yeah, you should’ve done it differently.” Thanks, coach.
If only these experts had shared their wisdom beforehand, we could have walked into that meeting looking like pros instead of deer caught in the headlights. Instead, we’re left scrambling to make sense of the feedback while wondering why it couldn’t have been a part of the prep process.
The Rundown: The Meeting Dread Dilemma
So, why do so many of us dread meetings? It’s not because we’re allergic to conference rooms or terrified of agendas. It’s because the meeting often becomes the place where things could have been addressed earlier, where senior leaders decide to flex their troubleshooting muscles, and where higher echelons drop last-minute bombshells.
But here’s the good news—if we could shift the focus to collaboration and preparation before the meeting, we might just start looking forward to them (or at least stop dreading them). So, senior leaders, next time you’re ready to drop some knowledge, maybe consider sharing it before the meeting starts. And to all the rest of us, let’s keep pushing for a little more teamwork and a little less “gotcha” in our meetings. Who knows, we might even start enjoying them. (Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but it’s worth a shot!)
#seeiamme
— in Killeen.