Are You Looking to Hire a VP for Meetings? I Have the Perfect Candidate in Mind

A LONG TIME AGO, in a workplace far, far away, I ranted about all the dumb meetings I had attended over the years.

The original blog post on that has been lost to institutional idiocy at the publication that made it impossible to find again some 15 years after I wrote it, but the gist of my argument survives in another form:

“I can’t begin to tell you how many brain cells I’ve lost over my career attending senseless, wasteful, mind-numbing meetings. When I left one employer after nearly 12 years on the job, I calculated that I had attended more than 11,000 meetings during my time there – and those were just the regularly scheduled ones that I could easily count. Add in special or unscheduled meetings, and I easily was up around 13,000 meetings in less than 12 years. Some were necessary, but a great many were futile and wasteful. I’d be surprised if more than 10 percent of them were truly productive.

I have a million stories about all those meetings that I have given so many brain cells for, but the one that sticks out most is when this brutish tyrant of a boss I was working for told me that the daily afternoon scheduling meeting I ran was TOO efficient and made TOO many decisions TOO early in the day. He took over running the meeting, and of course, he failed to make any real decisions on anything, procrastinating long into the evening and driving everyone crazy. His sterling decision-making abilities drove the company to ‘encourage’ him to take ‘early retirement’ a few years later.”

I know a LOT about meetings

My point: I have not only attended a great many meetings, but I know how to run a GOOD meeting as well as what makes for a BAD one. I’ve also attended nearly four years of Zoom meetings before, during, and after the global lockdown while working for an HR tech company based in New Zealand while living here in Southern California.

Yes, I know a LOT about meetings.

THAT’S WHY I PERKED UP when I saw this Forbes story titled Why 2025 Will See More Companies Hiring Meetings VPs. Here’s the gist of it:

“U.S. companies lose an estimated $37 billion annually (emphasis added) due to meeting mistakes, such as miscommunications and ineffective meetings.

Looking ahead, more companies will start to measure and communicate their meeting health scores. This metric will evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of meetings within an organization. By showcasing a high meeting health score, companies can attract top talent by assuring potential hires that their time will not be wasted. This transparency in meeting practices will become a key factor in recruitment, positioning companies with efficient meeting cultures as desirable employers.”

This is an interesting concept. Measuring the effectiveness of meetings reminds me of the management truism wrongly attributed to the late, great Peter Drucker that says “if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it.”

Although some modern business critics who haven’t had a fraction of the impact that Drucker had gripe that “Mismeasurement can lead to mismanagement,” the basic point this truism makes (no matter who first said it) is a good one — especially when there are so few people trying to measure meeting effectiveness today.

A great solution for a never-ending problem

The Forbes article has a suggestion for how to handle the problem with ineffective and unproductive meetings that so many have had to endure for too long — hiring a VP for Meetings.

“As companies continue to navigate the complexities of remote and hybrid work environments, the need for structured, efficient meetings will only grow. By investing in a Meetings VP, organizations can ensure that their teams are not only communicating effectively but also maintaining a healthy work-life balance. This investment in human capital is not just a trend but a strategic move towards sustainable productivity and employee well-being.”

THIS IS A GREAT IDEA, because the problem with bad meetings won’t ever go away until the focus turns to making sure they are generally brief, predictably productive, and highly effective.

Forbes adds this:

“Meetings have long been a double-edged sword in the corporate world. While they are essential for collaboration and decision-making, they often become a significant drain on time and resources. A recent survey found that the average employee spends nearly 23 hours a week in meetings, up from less than 15 hours a decade ago.

This increase in meeting time has not necessarily translated into greater productivity. In fact, many employees report feeling that meetings are often unnecessary or poorly organized, leading to frustration and burnout.”

The Forbes article also details the many responsibilities a Meetings VP would have to take on — things like Reporting and Analysis and Training and Mentorship, among other things.

A humble suggestion on the perfect candidate

HERE’S MY TAKE: If there’s anyone thinking about a VP for Meetings and wonders who might fit the bill, I have a modest suggestion — me.

Yes, somebody should hire me to fill a job like this.

I’ve attended thousands and thousands of meetings in all sorts of businesses and in all kinds of situations. My anecdote about the idiot senior “manager” who claimed that meetings I ran were too short (and too effective) is a perfect example of why I would be the perfect as a Meetings VP.

The big problems I always faced in meetings are things that need a strong leader to fix, because most meetings try to accomplish too much, aren’t terribly focused, and allow people to blather on with their gripes that aren’t pertinent to the topic at hand.

There’s a lot more I can say about meetings — and that I have written a lot about — but I need to shut up now so I don’t give away something somebody might be willing to hire me to help with.

If you’ve got the money, I’ve got the time

Forbes closes with this:

“A dedicated Meetings VP brings a personalized touch, fostering inclusive practices and ensuring diverse voices are heard. They can mentor employees, navigate complex interpersonal dynamics, and drive cultural shifts towards valuing productive, inclusive meetings.”

Amen to that. If you’re intrigued about someone to whip your meeting into shape and think a VP of Meetings might be the answer, please, drop me an email or give me a call. A Meetings VP may sound like hell for most, but for me, it’s something I not only have tons of experience in but that I could really excel at.

As Willie Nelson is famous for saying, “If you’ve got the money honey, I’ve got the time.”

Other trends and insights 

And your latest dose of AI news … 

• Electricity grids creak as AI demands soar (From BBC.com)
• AI Is Your Co-Worker Now, But Can You Trust It? (From Wired.com)
• Lost in translation: Job seekers and recruiters are canceling out the benefits of AI (From BenefitsNews.com)
• OpenAI Insiders Warn of a “Reckless” Race for Dominance (From NYTimes.com)
• How AI Can Make us Better Leaders (From HBR.org)
• Study finds that AI models hold opposing views on controversial topics (From TechCrunch.com)

ALSO: There seems to be a never-ending push by some organizations for new and exotic employee benefits. I thought that pet insurance was about as far as they could go, but of course, I was surprised when I read another Forbes article on Why Dating Services Should Be An Employee Benefit. They say that, “One intriguing and bold idea gaining traction is the inclusion of dating services as a company perk. As we navigate the future of work, integrating personal and professional life in a harmonious and inclusive manner could redefine employee satisfaction and engagement.”

Observation of the week

“Working for a boring boss is a good strategy for accelerating your career. If you have a choice between a competent, ethical, kind, selfless manager who puts their team first and is humble and open to learning from them, accepts their own mistakes, and focuses on turning a group of people into a high-performing team, and an entertaining, eccentric, overconfident, charismatic narcissist who is power-hungry and excels at advancing their own career, irrespective of their actual effectiveness as a leader, it should not be a difficult decision.”

— From The unexpected benefits of a boring boss in Fast Company

Loyal Readers: I’ve been writing this weekly wrap-up for more than 20 years — from Workforce.com to TLNT.com to Fuel50 and now here on The Skeptical Guy. I’d love to know what you think, so email comments to me at  johnhollon@yahoo.com.