The Irishman: Ground Rules for Meetings

   

Meetings, said Peter F. Drucker, are by definition a concession to deficient organization. “For one either works or meets. One cannot do both at the same time.”

Al Pacino Impressive Meeting Rules
1) Attend on Time
2) Late attendance says Something
3) Excuses has a tolerable range
4) dress properly for the meeting
5) respect others in communication
6) Avoid bad meeting introductions

“In an ideal design structure (which is only a dream) there would be no meetings. Everybody would know what he needs to know to do his job. Everybody would have the resources available to him/her to do his job.”

“Meetings are necessary because people holding different jobs have to cooperate to get a specific task done… We meet because the knowledge and experience needed in a specific situation are not available in one head, but have to be pieced together out of experience and knowledge of several people.”

“There will always be more than enough meetings. Organizations require so much working together that it’s impossible not to have meetings.”

Every meeting generates a host of little follow-up meetings—some formal, some informal, but both stretching out for hours. Meetings, therefore, need to be purposefully directed. An undirected meeting is not just a nuisance; it is a danger.