Why Your Meetings are Failing

Do you find yourself questioning if your meeting is relevant or if it's the best use of time for you and your team? Don't just keep meetings for meeting sake. Ensure you can easily and clearly identify how the meeting helps you to achieve your company's goals.

1. Meetings Are Not Just Meetings—They’re a Tool for Strategic Execution

Most companies host meetings because it’s what they’ve always done. A weekly check-in, a strategy session, a leadership update, these meetings fill up calendars, but do they drive real business results? Meetings should be more than just agenda-driven discussions; they should be a structured part of your execution process that supports strategic planning and goal achievement.

When planned correctly, meetings become a catalyst for growth—a moment to align, execute, and assess progress toward business goals. But when poorly planned, they become distractions, filled with noise, inefficiencies, and disengaged participants. This is when the question is asked, “Could this have been an email or a telephone call?”

So, how do you transform your meetings into powerful tools that support execution, drive strategic planning, and accelerate growth? It all starts with rethinking how and why your company hosts meetings.

As a Corporate Planner, a major part of my role was planning meetings that drove execution. One consistent piece of feedback I received was how seamlessly my meetings ran, even with personalities that were known to derail discussions. This was no accident. I achieved this by deeply understanding both the meeting objectives and the dynamics of the attendees

2. See Meetings as an Execution Tool, Not a Calendar Event

Every meeting must have a defined purpose tied to a business objective. Before scheduling any meeting, ask:

? What is this meeting helping us achieve? Does it contribute to goal achievement, strategic planning, or execution?

? How does this meeting support company growth? Are we using it to make key decisions, solve business challenges, or track progress?

? Is this meeting necessary, or can it be an email? If there is no clear decision to be made, action to be taken, or insight to be gained, it’s not a meeting—it’s an update.

Meetings should be intentional spaces where execution happens, not just places where information is exchanged. If information is being exchanged, it means preparation is missing. Meetings are expensive. If you want to confirm this, look at the roles in the room, their salaries per hour and ask yourself if this time is worth the cost?

3. Planning with Purpose—Who Should Be in the Room?

Many companies invite too many people to meetings, leading to wasted time and disengagement. Every person in the room should play a role in execution.

?? Decision-makers—They need to be in the room to approve key initiatives.

?? Strategic planners—They ensure the meeting aligns with company growth goals.

?? Execution leads—They drive projects and need direction from the meeting.

?? Data-driven individuals—They bring the numbers and insights that inform decisions.

?? Culture-focused leaders—They ensure business initiatives align with company values.

If someone is attending a meeting but has no role in execution, they don’t need to be there. Consider alternative ways to update them (e.g., a summary email).

4. The Hidden Psychology of Meetings

One of the biggest mistakes companies make is assuming that everyone comes to a meeting ready to engage. That’s rarely the case. People need context, preparation, and a sense of inclusion to contribute meaningfully. One practice I repeated was to ensure my participants are prepared even if it meant that I would prepare the presentations myself.

Anticipate the needs of your attendees and meet them at their point of need (even if you don't think it's "your" job). I often remind persons to be 100% responsible 100% all the time. If you own the meeting you own the preparation as well.

Each executive, leader, or stakeholder comes into a meeting with a unique perspective and expectation. Understanding these needs in advance is key to ensuring the meeting runs smoothly.

• If a stakeholder wants to see data before making a decision, send numbers in advance to reduce unnecessary back-and-forth.
• If a leader values culture and team alignment, include a discussion point that acknowledges their focus.
• If a team member prefers to review materials beforehand, schedule a pre-meeting to walk through key points.

This preparation eliminates roadblocks, ensures smoother discussions, and allows meetings to drive execution instead of getting derailed by unnecessary conflicts.

5. Make the Shift From Meeting Culture to Execution Culture

If your meetings aren’t helping your company achieve its strategic goals, drive execution, or support business growth, they’re costing you time, money, and productivity.

Action Steps for Your Next Meeting:

? Define how the meeting supports your company’s strategic planning and goal achievement.

? Identify who needs to be in the room based on their role in execution.

? Prepare in advance by anticipating attendees’ needs and expectations.

? Ensure every discussion leads to a decision, action, or insight that moves the company forward.

Meetings are more than a gathering of people. The companies that master this shift are able to achieve higher efficiency, stronger alignment, and faster goal achievement.

?? What’s the biggest challenge your company faces when hosting meetings? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Blessings,

Michelle