The Seven Sins of Deadly Meetings

Sin #1: People don't take meetings seriously. They arrive late, leave early, and spend most of their time doodling.
Salvation: Adopt Intel's mind-set that meetings are real work.

Sin #2: Meetings are too long. They should accomplish twice as much in half the time.
Salvation: Time is money. Track the cost of your meetings and use computer- enabled simultaneity to make them more productive.

Sin #3: People wander off the topic. Participants spend more time digressing than discussing.
Salvation: Get serious about agendas and store distractions in a "parking lot."

Sin #4: Nothing happens once the meeting ends. People don't convert decisions into action.
Salvation: Convert from "meeting" to "doing" and focus on common documents.

Sin #5: People don't tell the truth. There's plenty of conversation, but not much candor.
Salvation: Embrace anonymity.

Sin #6: Meetings are always missing important information, so they postpone critical decisions.
Salvation: Get data, not just furniture, into meeting rooms.

Sin #7: Meetings never get better. People make the same mistakes.
Salvation: Practice makes perfect. Monitor what works and what doesn't and hold people accountable