Meetings should not be about updates it should be about solving problems
Meetings have long been seen as necessary for team alignment, but too often, they become sessions filled with repetitive status updates that could easily have been shared through an email or a messaging app. The real value of bringing people together should lie in solving problems, not simply listing tasks or progress reports.
For example, think about how much more productive a marketing team could be if, instead of spending an hour discussing how many leads were generated last week, they used that time to brainstorm ways to overcome the obstacles that are preventing higher conversion rates. This shift in focus—from giving updates to addressing challenges—can lead to real progress. Imagine a meeting where the product development team doesn’t just share updates on milestones but actively collaborates to find solutions to a design flaw. The energy changes; suddenly, the meeting feels like it’s driving innovation, not just sharing information.
When meetings become update-centric, they often leave team members disengaged and unmotivated. A common example is in corporate settings, where managers sit through long-winded updates about projects they’re not directly involved in. If the purpose of the meeting was to problem-solve, the room would be engaged differently. A sales team, instead of recounting how many calls they made, could discuss strategies to close deals with difficult clients. The conversation becomes dynamic, and more importantly, productive.
The story of Apple is a great example of how meetings focused on solving problems can create transformative results. In the early days, Steve Jobs famously kept meetings small and to the point. His focus was not on hearing updates about what had been done but about tackling the real issues. These problem-solving sessions allowed Apple to move quickly and innovate at a pace that changed the world.
In contrast, many companies struggle because meetings are used as a formality to "check-in" rather than push progress forward. Imagine a tech startup stuck in endless update meetings—sharing who fixed what bug or completed which task—without ever diving into what’s stopping them from launching their product sooner. These kinds of meetings drain time and energy that could be better spent finding the solutions that move the business forward.
When meetings focus on solving problems, they engage participants in meaningful ways. Everyone leaves with a sense of accomplishment because they’ve contributed to moving the needle. The world’s most successful companies thrive because they use meetings as a platform for collaborative problem-solving, not just as a ritual of routine updates. It’s time to rethink how we approach meetings—let’s focus on solving problems, because that’s where real progress happens.