1 min read agile

We Don’t Need More Meetings. We Need More Courage.

We Don’t Need More Meetings. We Need More Courage.

Another meeting invite just hit your inbox.
Subject line: “Quick Sync.”
Duration: 60 minutes.
Agenda: TBD.
Outcome: Nothing.

Let’s call it what it is:
A meeting isn’t a strategy. It’s a stall.
It’s a way to avoid hard conversations, dodge accountability, and pretend alignment.

What we need isn’t more meetings.
We need more courage.

Meetings: The Corporate Comfort Blanket

Meetings have become the adult version of hiding under the covers.
We gather in rooms (or Zooms), nod along, and leave with nothing resolved.
Why? Because it’s easier to schedule a meeting than to make a decision.
Easier to discuss than to act.
Easier to defer than to dare.

But here’s the truth:
Every unnecessary meeting is a tax on your team’s momentum.
And the bill comes due in missed deadlines, burnout, and broken trust.

Courage: The Missing Agenda Item

Real leadership isn’t about filling calendars.
It’s about filling gaps—with clarity, conviction, and courage.

  • Courage to make decisions without unanimous approval.
  • Courage to have tough conversations without hiding behind slides.
  • Courage to say “no” to meetings that serve no purpose.

As Brené Brown puts it, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.”
And nothing breeds more unkindness than a meeting without purpose.

The Meeting Manifesto

If you must meet, make it count:

  1. Purpose Over Presence: Only gather if there’s a clear objective.
  2. Decisions Over Discussions: Aim to conclude, not just converse.
  3. Action Over Attendance: Invite only those who will act, not just observe.

And if the meeting doesn’t meet these criteria?
Cancel it.
Replace it with courage.

Lead with Courage, Not Calendars

It’s time to break the cycle.
To stop equating busyness with productivity.
To recognize that every minute spent in a pointless meeting is a minute stolen from meaningful work.

So, the next time you’re tempted to send that invite, ask yourself:
Am I seeking solutions or just solace?

Because in the end, leadership isn’t about meetings.
It’s about making moves.

Lead. Don’t Ctrl.

Ctrl Zed

Ctrl Zed

Ctrl Zed is the digital alter ego of every tech leader who's had enough of micromanagement, meetings that should've been code, and leadership built on fear instead of trust.
Michigan