Before scheduling a meeting, finish this sentence: "As a result of this meeting, we will have achieved ___. " If you can't, cancel it. Over 90% of meetings lack a clear outcome, but companies using achievement statements cut meeting length by 17 minutes on average.
If you can't finish this sentence, cancel the meeting. As a result of this meeting, we will have achieved blank. I call that a statement of achievement. And we're meeting to discuss the Johnson account does not count. Discussing isn't an achievement. Instead, it could be, as a result of this meeting, we will have picked the price we're submitting to the Johnson account. Now everybody knows why they're there and when the meeting is over. In one of my studies, more than 90% of meetings failed to produce an identifiable achievement. But when organizations started using statements of achievement, meetings ended an average of 17 minutes earlier. Not because people were rushed, but because once they accomplished their objective, they stopped filling up the calendar. So before your next meeting, finish the sentence. If you can't, don't make everybody else sit there while you figure out why you invited them.
