Abstraction

In a previous post I broke a taboo by expressing my feeling that “some meetings are an important, and often neglected, aspect of good management.” (Breaking a taboo, I mean, by doing anything other than denigrating the hated meeting).

And, just as everyone, I still hate meetings. Hate them. Painful. Ugh.

But I see that Tyler Cowen has something positive to say about meetings, too:

But there is good news for the legions of meeting haters: Most meetings aren’t as wasteful as they seem.

Face-to-face gatherings serve valuable if hidden functions. For example, meetings publicize information about status. Who speaks? Who finds it necessary to praise whom? Who displays a confident demeanor? Meetings help managers and employees figure out how to build necessary coalitions. They bestow social intelligence.

A good reminder of the value of consciously maintaining focus and participating within meetings. Meetings are often the primary (sometimes the only) interaction point you will have with many colleagues, particularly those hierarchically above you. Even with colleagues you see and with whom you interact every day, meetings can serve to establish lines of authority and can build (or tear down) respect among teams.

The message: no matter how painful, how redundant, or how meaningless a meeting may seem, you should focus and squeeze as much positive, productive energy as you can out of the situation. The alternative is to risk being seen negatively — no one likes a whiner or a slacker.