Why it’s OK to say no to meetings

Originally Published by Regus Magazine UK

Musk’s meeting mantras

According to entrepreneur and Tesla founder Elon Musk, minimising time spent in meetings is key. His eccentric approach to business is inextricably linked to his success – so maybe it’s worth noting that, in his view, we should think nothing of leaving a room or hanging up on a conference call if a session isn’t serving us.

Musk’s views on meetings were outlined in an email sent to Tesla employees back in 2018, but they recently resurfaced on social media. Arguably, they’re more relevant than ever after months of remote work and seemingly endless FaceTiming.

“Excessive meetings are the blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time,” Musk is said to have advised his staff. “Please get [out] of all large meetings, unless you’re certain they are providing value to the whole audience, in which case, keep them very short.” Anyone who’s ever attended a mass Zoom call can no doubt see his point.

“Also get rid of frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with a very urgent matter,” suggests Musk – and it’s hard to argue with his logic. Just because a meeting is scheduled to recur every week, that doesn’t mean it’s always necessary.

Finally, Musk says, “Walk out of a meeting or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren’t adding value. It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time…[More]”

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Read the Original Article at Magazine UK: Why it’s OK to say no to meetings