A Meeting Worth Attending
The problem isn't that you have too many meetings. It's that most of them aren't doing what meetings are supposed to do.
I hear it constantly from practice owners: meetings are a waste of time. And honestly? For the meetings most of them are having, I agree.
These meetings are typically a laundry list of what's broken. The owner does all the talking. It's reactive, draining, and nothing moves forward. What's missing isn't time — it's how the meeting is designed and who's leading it.
It starts with how you show up
If you walk in with all the answers, your team will stop bringing theirs. The owner's job in a meeting isn't to report — it's to facilitate.
Share the agenda in advance. Give team members ownership of specific topics. Ask questions instead of giving directives. Create space for people to think out loud, raise concerns, and contribute ideas. And don't skip the check-in — two minutes at the start asking how everyone is doing builds more trust than any team-building exercise. People show up differently when they feel seen.
Then get the cadence right
Quality matters more than frequency, but structure still matters. A simple cadence that works:
Morning Huddle (15 min) — Quick alignment. What's happening today? Any roadblocks?
Weekly Leadership Connect (30 min) — What's the priority this week? How can we support each other?
Monthly Team Meeting (60–90 min) — Step out of the day-to-day. Connect, celebrate wins, review goals, solve real problems together.
Regular One-on-Ones (30–60 min) — A dedicated check-in with each direct report. How are they doing? What do they need? What feedback do they have? This is where trust gets built one conversation at a time.
Where to start
Pick one meeting you already have and redesign it. Share the agenda ahead of time. Hand off one topic to a team member. Start with a check-in.
When meetings become intentional — about sharing information, connecting as humans, collaborating on real problems, and developing shared leadership — they stop feeling like a drain on your time and start becoming one of the most powerful tools you have.
