The first five rows will get wet

I came in early to beat the traffic and because I liked getting stuff done while it was quiet. Having put in a full day, I would head out earlier than most to do some things after work. But through a cruel twist of fate, that aim was rarely realised.

Now barring an interrupted train service, my arrival tended to be more in my control than my departure.

Many afternoons I would be hanging over the cubicle of a colleague chatting, bag on my shoulder, laughing and saying goodnight, when my boss would come striding down the long corridor to our work area.

She had been in back-to-back meetings all day because she was every day. Then just on my quitting time, she would head back to her desk to get stuff done. But the outcomes of her day of meetings were about to stay my departure.

From further down the corridor I would hear, "Gayle, have you got a moment." Too late. "Sure," I'd say, putting down my bag and picking up my notepad. We would pop into a meeting room, and I would get a list of tasks to add to my list of tasks. Mostly, they could wait until the next day, but not always.

The impact of too many meetings goes beyond the use (or waste) of time of the attendee. It keeps them from other priorities like engaging with their teams, getting other tasks done, or time for deep reflective work.

In my example, it meant the only time my boss and I talked was for the almost daily task list.

Eventually, I gave up the small pleasure of an early start to fit into the rhythms of the workplace better, and so I would be less likely to do unreasonably long days.

Like a bellyflop into the pool, too many meetings are painful for the one jumping, and everyone nearby gets wet.

#meetings #overwork #leadership #culture