There was a time—long ago—when I thought hierarchy and the accompanying meeting structures were indispensable. During the rapid growth of my company, I agreed to introduce management layers, and heaven forbid if I spoke directly to someone on the shop floor or vice versa. Everything had to go through the managers, and that was the end of it.
What did I get in return? A calendar full of meetings. Financial meetings, culture meetings, structure meetings, evaluation meetings, strategy meetings, process meetings—in short, meetings, meetings, and more meetings.
I think I lasted about a month. Then I decided to dissolve the entire management team and banned meetings with more than two people because no one seemed to be focusing on the actual work or the customer anymore.
Elon Musk’s Six Meeting Rules
I admit, I may have been a bit radical in my approach. My temperament was a little less tamed back then. But someone who shares a similar view on meetings—and backs it up much better—is Elon Musk. He has laid out six rules for meetings that make a lot of sense. Here they are: Elon Musk’s six meeting rules, with a personal touch from me.
1 - Avoid Large Meetings
Stay away from large meetings unless you’re sure they add value for everyone involved.
Large meetings are like a slow-motion nightmare. They suck the energy out of your day and usually only result in confusion and wasted time. Everyone is just sitting there listening to things that don’t really concern them. So unless you’re absolutely certain everyone will benefit, it’s better to scrap those kinds of meetings. In my opinion, any meeting with more than five people is already suspicious. Instead of gathering a room full of people, it’s better to have one-on-one discussions with those who truly matter. The result? Less fuss, more action.
2 - Leave a Meeting if You’re Not Contributing
Walk out of a meeting or drop off a call if it’s clear you’re not adding value. It’s not rude to leave; it’s rude to make someone stay and waste their time.
We’ve all been held hostage in one of those endless meetings where you know after five minutes: “What am I even doing here?” Instead of sitting politely and pretending to listen while mentally planning your grocery list, it’s much more effective to simply get up and leave. The point is: if you’re not contributing or learning anything, you’re wasting your time and that of others by staying. And no, it’s not rude—it’s actually rude to trap people in a useless meeting. So stand your ground, say you’re leaving, and use your time for something that actually matters. We’re not here to participate in a time-wasting social performance.
3 - Forget the Hierarchy
Communication should follow the shortest path needed to get the job done.
Those old-fashioned hierarchical lines where everything has to go through managers and department heads? Nonsense. That’s great for inflating egos and slowing down decisions. If something needs to get done, go directly to the person you need, regardless of their position on the ladder. Efficiency trumps titles and roles. Don’t wait for permission from higher-ups or approval from a whole chain of managers. If you know what needs to be done, make sure you go straight to the right person. Simple, fast, and effective. The work needs to get done, not get stuck in a bureaucratic maze.
4 - Be Clear, Don’t Try to Be Clever
This one speaks for itself, but for those who need a visual…
Keep it simple. Too often, people try to impress with fancy language and complex terms, but that doesn’t help anyone move forward. If you want to make a point, do it without fluff. No one is waiting for clever wordplay or jargon that no one understands. What you want is for people to instantly grasp what you mean, without having to wade through a fog of ‘corporate speak.’ So: no nonsense, no philosophy. Just say what you mean, straight to the point. You’ll achieve a lot more and save everyone a lot of time and confusion.
5 - Stop Having Frequent Meetings
If you want to know where your team’s productivity is going, look at the number of meetings in your calendar. Spoiler alert: it’s probably a black hole.
Meetings are often the biggest time-sinks in an organization, and the worst part is, most of them are completely unnecessary. In the U.S. alone, there are 11 million meetings held every day. 11 million! And it costs companies around $37 billion annually. Why? Because people endlessly chat about issues that could often be resolved with a simple email. The more meetings you schedule, the less actual work gets done. So why are we still stuck in this cycle of weekly updates, progress reviews, and other ritual dances? Scrap them! If something is truly important, you can handle it quickly and effectively without sitting in a room for hours. Time is money, so don’t waste it on meetings just for the sake of meeting.
6 - Use Common Sense
In general, always let common sense be your guide (FINALLY someone says it). If following a company rule is obviously ridiculous in a particular situation, such that it would make for a great Dilbert cartoon, then the rule should change.
So if something clearly doesn’t work or is pointless, throw that rule out and solve the problem in the most logical way possible. You’re not at work to tick off checklists; you’re here to get things done. The fact that common sense isn’t always standard in companies is a problem in itself. So choose what actually works, not what the rules say just because “that’s how it’s always been done.”
The Importance of Coffee Chats and Personal Contact
Unlike endless, pointless meetings, encouraging informal coffee chats and personal connections has a hugely positive impact on a company’s efficiency and innovation capacity. Yes, it takes time, but the gains in collaboration, mutual understanding, and team cohesion are priceless. Many studies show that these spontaneous moments are the glue that makes teams stronger and allows ideas to flow more freely.
Even though remote work and video calls have become the norm at modern companies, I’ve come to believe that you need to actively encourage moments of real connection, even if it’s digital. I’ve been working—well before Covid—with two business partners who live 1.5 and 9 hours away, respectively. We see each other face-to-face maybe four times a year and speak daily via video. 90% of our conversations are about deadlines and work, but that other 10% is pure gold. Whether it’s talking about the latest Formula 1 race or the neighbor’s dog—those informal chats keep things running smoothly.
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