I
hate meetings. Oh dear, perhaps hate is too strong a word. I
detest, loathe and gnash my teeth at the thought of them. I’d rather watch the Chimpanzee Roller Derby Queen Pageant than
attend a meeting.
Yes, I understand their function: get
Dennis, Rachael, Twila, Bob and Kate together in one place to discuss a few
matters and make decisions. It saves time and creates unity, right? Well…
The last time the leader of a group
I belong to called a meeting, our agenda had only two items. We needed to
decide what day and time we’d have our monthly meetings, and discuss what we expected
to accomplish in the group. Trouble was, none of us could agree on a meeting
day and time to have our meeting-planning meeting. But that’s okay with me. It saved me
suffering through another meeting.
My husband once spent ninety minutes
listening to grown men on a church board discuss what type of pencil sharpeners
to put in the Sunday school classrooms, and how much they’d cost. A year and a
half later, the classrooms remained sharpener-less. Not only did I feel sorry
for all those kids with dull pencils; I could have found a household chore or
two for my honey to do in that ninety minutes he wasted.
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| "That is so funny, dude!" |
I'd like to form a No-Meeting Club,
created for doing away with unnecessary meetings. We’ll meet once a month to tell horror
stories of lengthy, inane meetings we’ve attended. We’ll take turns
pontificating on the virtues of a meeting-less society. Then we’ll discuss
everyone’s thoughts, hashing over ideas for, say, thirty seconds. After that,
we’ll concentrate on something significant and edifying.
Our only rule will be: No pouting or
food throwing if the chimp you’re rooting for doesn’t win the pageant.
Do you have an inane meeting story to share?
Hi Jeanette! May I suggest eating brownies and sipping wine for the rest of the meeting? I'll be right over...
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Ceil
Haha, well... I don't mind meetings so much, as long as they are short and to the point... whcih hardly ever happens of course :)
ReplyDeleteJeanette: I sat through a meeting this week that I actually did not need to be at. The person in charge made the statement the decision to me made needed the whole organization's vote. But when the representative from a higher office came, we found out that the way the meeting was advertised, only those on a specific board could actually vote. Our leader apologized for his error.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen, Sign me up for the "NO MEETINGS" Club. Don't get me started on useless and inane meetings. That's the story of my life. I've worked for two large international companies and one of the reasons, I left, was the senseless, non-productive, multiple hour meetings. We would have up to ten, every week. It was ridiculous. Our manager would then say, with a straight face, "I can't understand why I can't seem to get caught up." Duh!!
ReplyDeleteConcerning the "NO MEETING" Club, I do agree with Ceil. Bring on the brownies...chocolate chip, of course. I'm a typical guy, I still want my milk, to wash them down. :-) LOL
Too many I am afraid since we serve on leadership in both countries we served in. I have sit in some pretty tense meetings...the kind that leaves one with stomach problems. I love what we do in the state, we meet with missionaries when they come home but it's only for encouragement. We are the safe ones now, no leadership hat to wear, no notes to take to send to anyone. It's the best ministry we have ever served in. I'll vote for no more meetings.
ReplyDelete