Introduction: Rethinking Meeting Impact

If you’re tired of hearing “this could have been an email,” you’re not alone. I’ve heard the same groan from nearly every team I’ve worked with—especially now, when remote and hybrid work have us all chasing the mirage of efficiency. But let’s be honest for a second: is speed really the only thing that matters? Or have we drifted away from the bigger question—what actually makes a meeting worth our collective time?

Here’s where the conversation needs to change. Not every meeting is a waste, and not every slow moment is a failure. The real measure isn’t how quickly we plow through an agenda—it’s whether we walk away having accomplished something that genuinely matters. I call this meeting impact: does this gathering help your team move forward, deepen connection, or solve real problems together?

This isn’t just theory. Microsoft found that inefficient meetings are now the number one barrier to productivity—68% of employees say they don’t get enough uninterrupted focus time. And most knowledge workers? We’re clocking hours each week in meetings that barely scratch the surface of our skills or attention. Meanwhile, research on hybrid teams is finally revealing what actually moves the needle in meeting effectiveness. If we want stronger teams, we’ve got to get serious about measuring the opportunity cost of every meeting—what work, creativity, or deep focus are you trading for time spent together?

Let’s get into the heart of how you can make your meetings matter.

Beyond Efficiency: What Makes a Ceremony Valuable?

First, impactful meetings fuel collaboration. They create a space for your team to surface blockers, share context, and align on what matters most. Especially for remote and hybrid groups, these moments might be some of your only chances for real-time connection—those off-the-cuff ideas and hidden dependencies that don’t show up in chat.

I’ve watched routine meetings become purposeful rituals just by regularly coming back to these questions.

Second, impactful meetings build culture. When you’re working from home, it’s too easy to slip into your own silo. The best ceremonies are designed to nurture belonging and keep team energy alive—something async channels just can’t match on their own. Peer-reviewed studies back this up: hybrid meetings need intentional design to foster real connection and drive meaningful results.

Finally, impactful ceremonies unblock progress. Whether you’re surfacing risks or clarifying who’s doing what next, these moments can save everyone from spinning their wheels.

Efficiency without impact is just speed without direction.

Teams often fall into the trap of productivity theater—focusing on surface-level busyness instead of actual outcomes. The value of a ceremony comes down to whether it drives meaningful impact or simply fills time on your calendar.

Case Study: The Standup—More Than Just Status Updates

Let’s zoom in on the daily standup. If you’ve ever muttered, “Why not just post updates in Slack?”—you’re definitely not alone. But here’s where most teams miss the plot: when done right, a standup is so much more than status reporting.

A good standup is where real-time problem-solving comes alive. One person shares their plan for the day; another teammate flags a missing dependency or offers help before things veer off course. Just a few minutes of open conversation can prevent hours of missteps. I’ve seen this dynamic rescue projects more times than I care to admit.

There’s another layer: human connection. Distributed teams struggle with isolation—it’s inevitable. Even quick video calls—where you see faces, share a laugh, or catch someone’s dog wandering into frame—help maintain morale and remind us there are real people behind those avatars.

Spotify offers a great example of this approach. Their agile transformation empowered squads to make decisions and encouraged collaboration across specialized Guilds and Chapters. The outcome? Faster innovation, sharper customer focus, and features users actually cared about.

And here’s something small that can make a big difference: rotate who facilitates the standup each week. It keeps things fresh, gives more voices a chance to lead, and helps prevent meetings from turning stale.

But let’s not kid ourselves—not every standup is magic by default. The difference comes down to whether you’re intentional about why and how you meet—not just following the script because “that’s what teams do.”

If you’re struggling with recurring blockers or unclear priorities during standups, try small process shifts that help build momentum even on days when energy is low.

The Evaluation Playbook: How to Assess and Evolve Your Meetings

Maybe you’re starting to wonder if your own meetings are actually delivering—or just repeating old habits on autopilot. That’s a good sign! Here’s a practical playbook I’ve used (and lived through) to help teams assess—and improve—their ceremonies:

• Measure Impact:
  Ask yourself: Does this meeting foster collaboration? Is it unblocking issues? Does it help build culture or genuine connection? The best meetings leave people clearer and more empowered than when they arrived.

Don’t skip this step—it’s where things actually start to shift. Research shows that meetings with clear objectives are 25% more productive because everyone knows why they’re there and what they’re supposed to achieve. Try adopting a “Meeting Objective First” mindset: if you can’t define what you want out of the meeting up front, maybe you shouldn’t meet at all.

Here’s another sobering stat: A recent McKinsey survey found 61% of executives say at least half their decision-making time—much of it in meetings—was ineffective. Only 37% felt their decisions were both timely and high quality. That’s why regularly assessing your meeting rituals—and being willing to evolve or even eliminate them—is so crucial for real progress.

If you want to balance efficiency and effectiveness in goal setting, use meetings as checkpoints for clarity—not just status updates.

• Close Gaps:
  If a ceremony isn’t working, don’t just pull the plug (as tempting as that might be). Ask what’s missing:

• Is the structure unclear?
• Are goals fuzzy?
• Would another format work better?

Sometimes small tweaks—like clearer agendas or switching up facilitators—can breathe new life into an old process.

When you feel stuck or frustrated by recurring issues in your meetings, try a simple three-step reset to break old patterns and refocus the team.

• Be Bold:
  And sometimes? You have to let go. Not every ceremony can—or should—be saved. If you’ve tried making changes but still aren’t seeing value, it’s okay to move on. Giving people their time back is one of the most powerful gifts you can offer your team.

One tool I swear by here is ‘Stop, Start, Continue.’ Use it during retrospectives:

• What rituals need to stop?
• What new habits could we start?
• What’s working well that we should continue?

This feedback loop helps teams adapt as their needs change—and ensures meetings stay purposeful instead of turning into calendar clutter.

The goal isn’t just efficiency for its own sake; it’s making sure every minute together actually moves the needle.

When to Let Go: Cutting Meetings That Don’t Deliver

Let’s get real: some meetings just aren’t worth keeping around anymore. Maybe their original purpose has faded—or maybe they never really fit your team in the first place. Hanging onto these routines quietly drains energy from everyone involved.

Here’s an approach I recommend—a regular ‘meeting audit.’ Once a quarter (or whatever cadence makes sense for your team), take stock of each recurring ceremony:

• Is it still relevant?
• Is it driving impact?
• Are people genuinely engaged?

If you discover a ceremony doesn’t serve its purpose anymore—or if folks are zoning out or topics would be better handled asynchronously—it might be time to let go.

Cutting meetings isn’t a failure—it’s respect for your team’s time and potential.

Cutting meetings isn’t a failure—it’s respect for your team’s time and potential. When you free up calendars, you create space for deeper work—or for rituals that actually energize your team instead of draining them.

If you find yourself frequently overwhelmed by back-to-back calls or obligations that don’t serve your goals, learning how to say no to meetings can be a game changer for your productivity.

Take Action and Level Up Team Processes

So where do you start? Pick one ceremony this week and take an honest look at its impact. Ask yourself (and your teammates): Is this meeting delivering real value? If not, what could make it better—or is it time for something new entirely?

I saw one marketing team experiment with ‘Focus Fridays’—no meetings on Fridays—and the change was immediate: morale soared, project completion rates jumped, and people actually had space to think deeply again. Sometimes the simplest shifts make the biggest difference.

Share your feedback with whoever owns the process. Suggest experiments: try new agenda templates, shorter durations, or shift some topics async to reclaim focus time. Remember, the goal isn’t just fewer meetings—it’s better ones that help your team feel energized and empowered.

Above all else, optimizing for meeting impact means focusing on results over routines. Whether you’re syncing live or working async, the real test is whether those touchpoints help your team achieve more together than apart.

Ready to level up? Make sure every meeting earns its spot by driving real value.

When you move from simply trimming meeting minutes to maximizing meaningful moments, you give your team room to connect, create, and deliver their best work. Keep revisiting your rituals, stay open to change—and remember: true impact isn’t measured in hours spent together, but in progress made as a team.