Ryan Rock, Ankeny Business Leader Says, “Having a Meeting Won’t Solve Your Problem, and Here’s Why”

Nothing is more frustrating in the workplace than feeling like you are wasting your life away in a pointless meeting, especially when it is only the first of many that day. Why do so many meetings feel like a waste of time? Typically, it is because they consist of either frequent head-nods to the boss’ memos or listening to information that takes twice as long to be delivered when compared to the equally effective communication form of an email.

Ryan Rock, Ankeny business owner, surrounds himself with an innovative and ambitious team. His talented employees meet all of their clients’ needs by creating custom solutions for each problem. When it comes to company meetings, Rock understands the basics of network dynamics- when you see gatherings as networks, you can make a better choice about whether they’ll be useful or necessary. He further explains why business owners should throw the traditional take on meetings out the door.

Define Work

A TED talk done by speakers David Grady and Jason Fried revealed that there are more than 3 billion meetings every year. Executives spend 40 to 50 percent of their total working hours in meetings, and almost 34 percent of all meetings end up wasting time.

When asked if meetings fall into the same definition as work, the answer is technically no. Yes, gatherings happen during office hours, but business owners need to ask themselves how much work gets completed during the meeting even if you use conference room scheduling software. If what needs to be said is more effective and time-sparing to say over Slack or email, then a face-to-face meeting is a time killer for work productivity.

The Circle Conversation

Too many organizations have lost crucial work hours to a meeting’s circle conversation. These are the types of exchanges that will make any employee bang their head on the table as they have to endure listening to people who talk in circles. The leader of any meeting should limit such issues by setting time limits to lengthy discussions and staying focused on the topic. Another option would be to email a memo along with an open-door policy for further dialogue or questions.

Meeting Bloat

If there are not enough chairs in the room to sit all of the people you invited, then your gathering probably has meeting bloat. Meeting bloat is when there are not only too many but also unnecessary people present in the room for a meeting. Business leaders need to rethink who is necessary to invite to a meeting because they are asking for that employee’s time and moment away from work.

Post-Meeting Lag Time

As you can see, there are many time-wasting factors that a meeting can produce. One of which happens once a session concludes. The amount of time between the end of a meeting and the moment an employee starts back to work can destroy productivity time within a company. With so many adverse effects on any business, traditional gatherings are not the answer to solving business issues, growth, or productivity.

About Ryan Rock

Ryan Rock, Ankeny native, practices high values and stable morals as two essential things in and outside the workplace. Communication and honesty with clients are critical to Rock and his company, Empire AG, LLC, as they deliver excellent service through all assigned projects.