Dave Trott wanted to help students understand the advertising business by having working professions teach them. To this end, he invited sixty fellow copywriters and art directors to a meeting. The objective was to elect someone to run it then get each attendee to pick a date to teach a class. Dave provided lots of beer and sandwiches for attendees. However, no one turned up. No one except Jeremy Sinclair, creative director at Saatchis. Dave felt angry and frustrated. He was ready to give up on his idea.
Jeremy said, Calm down, Dave, no one knows nobody else turned up. Everyone thinks they’re the only one who didn’t come. So far as anyone knows, everyone else turned up and we had the meeting. So let’s proceed on that basis. Jeremy continued, I’d like to nominate Dave Trott as Chairman. Then he said, Carried unanimously by all present. They then put names of meeting absentees against classes with dates. The next day, the list was sent back out to the same sixty people. Everyone agreed to teach a class on the dates they were given. That became a workshop series that ran for 25 years.
Jeff Bezos meetings
I like a crisp document and a messy meeting. - Jeff Bezos
Amazon meetings are unusual. In an interview with Lex Fridman, Jeff Bezos explained how and why they are different.
Two-pizza rule
Meetings should be no larger than can be fed with two pizzas. Hence, the two-pizza rule. The smaller the team, the better the collaboration. It’s hard to hide in a small group. Large teams lack focus and accountability.
Study hall
In the first part of a meeting, attendees read through a briefing memo in silence. This document is around six pages and the read through can take half an hour. An informed discussion can then follow. If attendees did not read the brief in the meeting then many would be unprepared for an elevated debate.
It is hard to write a good six page memo. It can take two weeks to prepare, including drafting, adjusting based on feedback and many rewrites. The author faces an emotionally challenging task. They share their ideas first in the meeting, before potentially being trampled on by others.
No PowerPoint
A briefing memo is much better than a slideshow. PowerPoint has many disadvantages, including:
It is a vehicle to persuade. Internal meetings should be about seeking truth rather than selling an idea.
Slides often comprise a series of short bullet points (irony acknowledged). This can hide sloppy thinking. The audience finds it hard to get clarity.
Individuals are inclined to ask questions part way through the presentation that are often addressed in later slides. This wastes time relative to a memo which has been read.
Senior people speak last
Groupthink is an issue. To avoid this, the junior members of the meeting should speak first and most senior last. If this is not the case then those lower down the pecking order will likely feel intimidated to fall in line with what their seniors say.
Messy discussion to informed decision
In contrast to the start of the meeting, Jeff Bezos likes, what he calls, the messy part of the meeting. His best meetings are about asking important questions to which the answers are not yet known. Then wandering, via debate, to an informed decision.
Other resources
Lex Fridman Podcast interview with Jeff Bezos
Three Steps to Transform Your Meetings post by Phil Martin
Elon Musk’s 6 Productivity Rules post by Phil Martin
My brilliant colleague Filipe Zeferino made me smile when he shared the following Richard Moran quote with me. We are going to continue having these meetings, everyday, until I find out why no work is getting done.
Have fun.
Phil…