Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager, Second Edition

How to Run a Meeting

I bag on meetings.

I bag on meetings because, like any nerd, I expect the universe to be efficient and orderly, and there is no more vile a violation of this sense of orderliness than a room full of people randomly bumping into shit and calling it a meeting.

There are solid meetings out there. There are meetings that build a sense of structure, move forward for the entire hour, and finish with a sense of accomplishment. The question is, How do we make sure every meeting is like this? Let’s start by understanding why meetings showed up in the first place.

You’re sitting in your office eating a sour-apple saltwater taffy, and ...