Do you believe in setting guidelines for meetings? Or are they bureaucracy?
Roberto Gómez - ScalarOS.com
38 replies
We do believe in them, so we're live with our product Meeting Guidelines! You can support the launch here https://www.producthunt.com/post...
Others that believe:
Take Netflix, they have a "No Rules" culture and still, they have meeting guidelines.
Elon Musk has guidelines as well for Spacex and Tesla, such as avoid large meeting and don't hold recurrent ones.
The most famous right now may be Shopify, who claim that meetings are a bug and if you need them it's because some API is missing.
What do you think?
Replies
Hassan Sajjad@m_hassan_sajjad
Absolutely! Meetings without guidelines are ships without rudders, drifting into unproductive seas of tangents and digressions.
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@hassan_sajjad1 haha like it, how do you set up meeting guidelines then?
@hassan_sajjad1 There's a sweet spot – micromanaging those guidelines could end up feeling like we're drowning in details, losing the flow. Striking that balance is key for smooth sailing!
some of them are bureaucracy and needed to be resolved...however i never see that guidelines are helping to bring effectiveness :/ therefore we are building huudle.io
Increased efficiency: Clear guidelines like agendas, time limits, and participant roles can prevent rambling, unnecessary discussion, and ensure meetings stay focused on achieving specific goals.
@angel_william agree! How do you implement those?
Guidelines? Meh. Meetings should be organic conversations, not constrained by checklists. Trust in good communication and collaborative spirit.
@amy_g_debnam Hey Amy! Thanks for the feedback. You are an engineer who need focus time, do you think you could achieve it in a big company without any control on how to communicate with each other?
Potential for stifling creativity: Rigid guidelines might stifle spontaneous ideas and brainstorming, hindering out-of-the-box thinking and innovative solutions.
@alexander_dolton if they are policies, instead of guidelines, right?
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Don't let bureaucracy fossilize your meetings. Keep them dynamic and responsive to the team's needs.
@christin_koehler thanks! any example of how you do this?
Guidelines? Don't make me laugh! Meetings are where we gather to procrastinate brilliantly, disguised as productive collaboration. But hey, if guidelines help us get through them faster, I'm all ears (as long as someone brings snacks)
@curtis_j_sanders are you able to achieve long uninterrupted focus time during your day as a developer? One guideline would be that they can't schedule you meetings during your flow hours
Setting guidelines for meetings can be beneficial for efficiency and clarity. They help streamline discussions and ensure that meetings are productive. While too many rules can feel bureaucratic, well-defined guidelines can enhance communication and decision-making.
Sure i believe in setting guidelines for meetings! It is essential for efficiency and productivity. Love that you've launched Meeting Guidelines. Checked it out on Product Hunt, and it looks fantastic. I am a fan of how even companies like Netflix, SpaceX, Tesla, and Shopify approach it differently.
Most of the time guidelines can provide structure which in turn contributes to efficiency:)
When our team meets via zoom it helps us hammer out important details more easily, and when we meet in person that is when the meetings become less rigid and there is more creative room. I find both formats to be very necessary and helpful for us! :)
It really depends on the type of meeting.
Like Jeff Bezos said in his recent interview, if you're trying to innovate you'll have no idea how long the meeting will take.
If you did, than you already know the solution to your problem.
Absolutely, @roberjet Setting guidelines is key for productive meetings. They provide structure without stifling creativity. Even industry giants like Netflix, SpaceX, Tesla, and Shopify recognize their value. Your product, Meeting Guidelines, is a fantastic initiative! Excited to check it out.
Many congrats on the launch :)
Different styles of meetings can be good (and bad)!
A highly structured meeting with very specific issues to address can lead to actionable items for each participant. However, they can also lead to bickering over details and individuals neglecting responsibility.
On the other hand, loose and/or free-flow meetings can be good to discover a wide range of solutions to a particular problem. In my experience, free-flow meetings don't tend to work well with longer agendas, so a singular focus is best.
No meetings at all will oftentimes lead to disjointed information and teams working without complete knowledge of a problem. Meetings a probably a good thing, but they should always serve a purpose!
They are needed, but not to excess. 1:1s with direct reports are essential to build rapport, whether live or virtual for remote staff.
To many all-hands-communication-meetings are a sign that an organization isn't making clear objectives and delegating them to the right teams.