Thread by @berkun

1. One big trap in moving to #remote work is it forces you to notice team behavior that is dysfunctional that you never noticed before.

The trap is to blame it on being remote - but in truth the issues were there all along. They're just harder to ignore now.

2. For example, “These Zoom meetings aren’t working, everyone seems distracted or bored."

And what - you think your non-remote meetings were exciting intellectual salons, packed with epiphanies and infinite engagement? I think not.

3. Most meetings are dominated by the boss. In all cases, if the meeting isn't working for everyone there, it's their fault.

Trap #1: Most bosses have a better sense of if the meeting is working for them, than if it's actually helping anyone else be productive.

4. The primary factor in meeting quality is who is running/facilitating it?

Trap #2: usually the boss runs the meeting, even if they are poor facilitators and have no training it how to do it well.

5. Everyone *knows* basics of good meetings, but few follow them because it's nobody's role. Make it one.

- Send out an agenda
- Keep meeting small & short
- Ensure no one speaks too much or too little
- Eject 1-on-1 / tangent convos
- take notes (to satisfy onlookers)
- etc.

6. Often it's the boss who has the worst meeting habits. Interrupting others, ratholing on random opinions, refusing to follow the meeting rules. And who can call them on it?

Better bosses lead by example - at minimum by empowering a better facilitator to run the meeting.

7. #Remote does flatten things - you get less emotional context. Everything is 2D, not 3D. This means the utility of a meeting is tighter - I admit that.

But with a good facilitator and/or good facilitation culture (where many ppl know the habits) there's not that much loss.

8. Most successful remote teams offload as much as they can to asynchronous communication. Instead of a meeting... write a 2 page document with comments on and have a deadline.

If a meeting is TRULY needed, only then do you call for one. But you don't start there.

9. Writing has BIG advantages. Meetings are dominated by the loudest/fastest. Comments on docs emphasize who is most thoughtful.

Which is truly more important?

Amazon is the standard reference for this style of "writing/reading first" discussions:

slab.com/blog/jeff-bezo…

10. The general rules of meetings, remote or not, always apply. Better meetings:

- Have fewer people
- Are shorter
- Have a clear agenda
- Are facilitated
- Justify synchronous time (vs. document/chat/etc.)

If you're in a bad meeting this is your remedy checklist. Pass it on.

11. On the self-centricity and hubris of bosses running meetings:

"79% of managers said meetings they initiated were very productive, only 56% said same about meetings initiated by others"

"75% had no training in conducting/participating meetings"

hbr.org/2019/01/why-yo…