Good Inefficiency

I've been to far too many meetings in my life. Haven't we all?

Status meetings, brainstorming meetings, pre-meetings, post-meetings, internal meetings, leadership meetings, client meetings, church meetings, housing meetings, meetings that could have been emails...

The list - and often the meetings themselves - are endless.

After a while, they all seem to blend into one.

This is the story of one that did stand out in my mind.

It was a gruelling 3-hour session with our top client.

Presentation, Q&A and discussion.

We were packed into a small, long room with a screen at the end, maybe 10 from the agency side and 3 from the client.

All the focus was on the client's new Chief Marketing Officer: would she buy our new idea or force us to start again from scratch?

The team was understandably nervous, but the presentation went smoothly, as rehearsed, proudly culminating in a Big Reveal.

We looked around the room at our guests, expecting a standing ovation!

We were greeted with silence.

Everyone turned to the CMO, looking for any sign of a response.

Then the questions started:

What do you mean? What's the evidence? Why is that important? What about the global strategy? Won't it alienate our existing customers? Where will we find the talent? What was the brief again...?

Two hours later, all energy had been sapped from the room.

Coffee and snacks had run out, the air conditioner wasn't working, and the conversation kept going round in circles.

I wanted to escape. I think we all did.

Then somehow, miraculously, a consensus emerged.

The way ahead was clear.

The idea finally made sense.

Without anyone noticing, things had fallen into place.

Time to go home!

Except we didn't...

I can't recall the exact idea we were presenting, or who was in the room at the time, but I do clearly remember what the CMO did next.

She went round the table, one by one, asking what each and every person thought of the new plan.

Everyone, from the Account Director to the Planning Director to the Marketing Manager, to the Associate Marketing Manager, right down to the intern who had been too intimidated to speak up during the whole session.

"So, what do you think?"

And she listened, and nodded, responded and thanked each member for their comments.

This prolonged the meeting by at least an extra 20 minutes.

Twenty. Minutes.

And it was worth it.

I would like to say that the intern at that point was given the opportuniy to voice a concern that nobody else had notice, which saved the company from a major marketing blunder that would have cost them dearly in terms of finance and reputation.

To be honest, I don't think that actually happened this time...

But that's not the point: the intern - whatever she said - felt part of it because of that short interrogation. She felt heard. Human.

Time wasted, humanity saved.

This is not just about meetings.

Sometimes the best, most sustainable, most enjoyable solutions are not the quickest ones.

Think about all the time and ineffiency it takes to make a good wine; a thriving community; a glacier; a beehive; a baguette; a sword; a species.

In terms of pure effiency and computing power, humanity no longer offers the quickest minds in the room.

Nor should we rush to keep up.

Can we still see value of good inefficiency?

Some simple practices may help:

• Take ten minutes today to ask everyone in your meeting how they are, really.
• Write a thank you note by hand for an unsuspecting colleague.
• Take a detour on the way to work.
• Wash the dishes by hand.
• Practise nemawashi.
• Spend time with an elderly friend or neigbour.
• Carve out time to read.
• Think: how could I do this less efficiently - and get more out of it?

Time wasted, humanity saved.

Good inefficiency.