August 23, 2025 • 9 mins
Bank bosses have started putting requirements in place for efficient meetings, asking for an agenda, short presentations only, and action items. Isn't this common sense? How do you actually run an efficient meeting?
Fear & Greed Q+A: Join Michael Thompson & Adam Lang as they answer questions on business, investing, economics, politics and more. If you have your own question, get in touch via our website, LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Michael Thompson (00:05):
Welcome to Fear and Greed Q and A, where we
ask and answer questions about business, investing, economics, politics and more.
I'm Michael Thompson, and good morning, Adam Lang.
Adam Lang (00:14):
Good morning, Michael.
Michael Thompson (00:16):
Adam, recently, in the last couple of weeks, has been
a lot of commentary about, of all things meetings, and
it has been driven largely by the bank CEOs too,
in particular the new A and Z CEO Nuno Mattos
and the new Westpac Newish Westpac CEO Anthony Miller, and
talking in particular about some efficiency measures that they are
(00:37):
putting in place around meetings and this idea of having
shorter meetings and having an agenda for a meeting and
to try and kind of value people's time. I understand
all of that. I also thought all of that was
common sense and already in place. So my question for
you today, as a workplace expert, as a leadership coach,
(01:00):
as a CEO with many years experience, how a veteran,
a veteran of many things, how do we have more
efficient meetings? Common sense?
Adam Lang (01:18):
It is. But that's the challenge for any business is you
have to make sense, you have to explain it. What
are you actually looking for? What's a smart decision in
whatever context you're operating in? And so, of course, you know,
I think this sort of behaviour, this conduct has to
be codified into the understanding of every company as to
what they want.
Michael Thompson (01:38):
So this is good than what these leaders are doing,
oh saying it and making the expectations.
Adam Lang (01:43):
Spectically, I agree, Yes, I do agree with that Anthony
Miller and what he's I think is being referred to
as his hustle culture, right, I really like that. I
think there is a nature about business that it is
a competition, that there is no walk up start to
customers buying your product or service, and you've got to
go out there and earn it. And that means customer service
is not a static thing. So meetings should really be reserved
(02:06):
for not discussion, not updates you can read those right,
They should be made for decision making. So if you're
coming into a meeting, if you're going to ask for
people's time, and you remember this from when we used
to work together, Michael, that you know I would in
my head have already calculated the cost of the meeting.
Michael Thompson (02:24):
How did you do that? By taking everyone's skir average salary.
Adam Lang (02:28):
Give an average salary, divide it down to an hour
an hour cost of business in my case including super
but you know there's on cost, rent and sign. You
can do it every way you like. Let's just say
keep it simple. Take the average wage down to an
hour and multiply that by the number of the people
in the room. So if you have eight people in
a meeting, that's eight hours worth of person time. Then
(02:50):
you've really got to add in another fifty percent half
an hour at least before an hour meeting, because people
got to get their heads into it, a lot of
people have to do work for it and put other
things aside. And after the meeting at least now allow
another half hour because there's work to do from the meeting.
So one hour meeting times eight people costs far north
of nothing. It is basically two hours worth of eight
(03:13):
people's time. And that starts to Okay, Well, then this
meeting better have a purpose. We better actually do something
productive with this time.
Michael Thompson (03:22):
Okay, So if we start there, as the basic principle,
there must be a purpose for this meeting.
Yes, what next and an outcome?
Adam Lang (03:30):
So basic rules that I like, everyone gets to speak,
everyone listens, and leaders speak last. Right, there's some basic dynamics. OK,
good news fast, bad news faster. You can't hide stuff
in these meetings, and you can't make them just celebrate
only the good. Everything has to go to make decisions.
(03:51):
Everything else is secondary. Then this is really important too
for any unified team. There is no meeting outside the meeting.
If you're in the room, you own the decision. And
when you are asked by your teammates who decided, the
only correct answer is I did, and you stand by
that decision. You also therefore have to stand by the mistakes.
So I really like those dynamics. We saw Nuno Mattos from
(04:14):
anzed He asked for presentations to be cut to five
pages and respect everyone's time. We saw westba's Anthony Miller
Shorter sharper sessions as part of his broader hustle culture.
Jeff Bezos at Amazon, this is one that I really loved.
Six pages A template, A pro former template, Michael, can
you imagine enjoy it? If you want to bring a
(04:37):
decision to a meeting, you've got to prepare, describe the
context to challenge the decision, how it'll make life better,
and an outcome, and people for the first fifteen minutes
of that meeting, do nothing but read it. There's no
pre work. You get in the room and you read it,
and you make your notes in your questions. The discussion
has had and then you go to a decision or
you decide there's not enough information they need to go again.
(05:00):
So I really like that rigor around how to make
their meetings effective. And let's just say Jeff Bezos was
a driver, but look at the size of Amazon. That
has been one of the most impressive business stories ever.
Michael Thompson (05:12):
Something clearly works in that case the structure of the meeting. Yes, again,
start with a purpose.
Adam Lang (05:17):
Purpose okay, definitely got to have an agenda. Where are
you going with this thing? And what are the outcomes
we're after so that everyone is clear and ready. That
should be circulated beforehand. I really like ninomatos directive from
at A and Z A gender upfront, outcomes, declared, actions confirmed.
I've spoken about Jeff Bezos six page memo and Matos
(05:39):
five page presentation restriction, but you know, really it's anything
that's going to reflect your company culture and direct you
towards the business process and the outcomes that you need.
Loosely define the problem analyze it, decide what to do
about it, and act.
Michael Thompson (05:56):
Okay, what about communication then within the meeting and is
this where poor communicators can actually fall down?
Adam Lang (06:04):
It is, yeah, it is okay. And look it's incumbent on
the chair of that meeting or the most senior person
in that room. And this is very human, right, particularly
when you've got new people into a company, new into
a role. You in a meeting forum, everybody's got to
be allowed to speak and speak well, like, have the
(06:24):
comfort to speak what they need to say, and that
can be quite intimidating. So really the chair of that
meeting has an obligation to support that discussion, make sure
everyone's there on time, get there early, turn off your phone,
there is no computer open. You are focused in that
meeting to get an outcome. And so really it has
to be a respectful environment. You know, you're there for
the business's sake, to get an outcome. Respect everyone's point
(06:47):
of view, because frequently the best ideas come from lots
of different parts of the business, from the front lines
and back And as Brene Brown, the Leadership and Vulnerability
Experts says, clear is so just communicating that manner It
is not for performance theater. As much as we celebrate
melodrama in the theater itself and in the weekend edition
(07:11):
here at Fear and Greed, Michael, meetings shouldn't Really be a
place for that. They can be very distracting.Beware of humor
because that can take you off track and it also
can mask really clear communication. And again, once you've made
that decision, make sure that everyone is supportive. If there's
any niggling doubt in that room, that's the time to
get it out because after that meeting, you're going you're
(07:34):
all in a line to make that decision happen.
Michael Thompson (07:36):
Okay, so we've discussed what to do before the meeting,
During the meeting, what about afterwards? How do you get
how do you actually get the best outcomes out of
that meeting?
Adam Lang (07:46):
A single owner is always really important. I think that
one person owns the outcome and that is made clear
the at least. The meeting's end. You know that they know. That
they've now got the permission to go ahead on the
company's bar and do something.
Michael Thompson (08:01):
They own it.
Adam Lang (08:02):
And when they're reporting back, you know, there's some instances
where every twenty four hours is a good reporting cycle.
By way of example, if you're dealing with a crisis,
a safety incident that certain people may need to know,
you know, in a briefing a meeting what is happening
and what to do and how they can help. But
there needs to be a frequency of reporting decided on
as well. I think those clear action items and a
(08:25):
single owner are really really helpful.
Michael Thompson (08:29):
Well, I think you have just delivered us an eight
minute masterclass in meeting etiquette and protocols. That a good meeting, Michael,
That actually was the most efficient meeting I think we've
ever had, Adam right there.
Adam Lang (08:40):
Thank you very much. Thank you, Michael.
Michael Thompson (08:42):
If you've got something that you would like to know
and we can deal with these things very efficiently, then
send through your question on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or head
along to our website Fearangreed dot com dot au. I'm
Michael Thompson and this is Fear and Greed Q and
a just
Welcome to Fear and Greed Q and A, where we
ask and answer questions about business, investing, economics, politics and more.
I'm Michael Thompson, and good morning, Adam Lang.
Adam Lang (00:14):
Good morning, Michael.
Michael Thompson (00:16):
Adam, recently, in the last couple of weeks, has been
a lot of commentary about, of all things meetings, and
it has been driven largely by the bank CEOs too,
in particular the new A and Z CEO Nuno Mattos
and the new Westpac Newish Westpac CEO Anthony Miller, and
talking in particular about some efficiency measures that they are
(00:37):
putting in place around meetings and this idea of having
shorter meetings and having an agenda for a meeting and
to try and kind of value people's time. I understand
all of that. I also thought all of that was
common sense and already in place. So my question for
you today, as a workplace expert, as a leadership coach,
(01:00):
as a CEO with many years experience, how a veteran,
a veteran of many things, how do we have more
efficient meetings? Common sense?
Adam Lang (01:18):
It is. But that's the challenge for any business is you
have to make sense, you have to explain it. What
are you actually looking for? What's a smart decision in
whatever context you're operating in? And so, of course, you know,
I think this sort of behaviour, this conduct has to
be codified into the understanding of every company as to
what they want.
Michael Thompson (01:38):
So this is good than what these leaders are doing,
oh saying it and making the expectations.
Adam Lang (01:43):
Spectically, I agree, Yes, I do agree with that Anthony
Miller and what he's I think is being referred to
as his hustle culture, right, I really like that. I
think there is a nature about business that it is
a competition, that there is no walk up start to
customers buying your product or service, and you've got to
go out there and earn it. And that means customer service
is not a static thing. So meetings should really be reserved
(02:06):
for not discussion, not updates you can read those right,
They should be made for decision making. So if you're
coming into a meeting, if you're going to ask for
people's time, and you remember this from when we used
to work together, Michael, that you know I would in
my head have already calculated the cost of the meeting.
Michael Thompson (02:24):
How did you do that? By taking everyone's skir average salary.
Adam Lang (02:28):
Give an average salary, divide it down to an hour
an hour cost of business in my case including super
but you know there's on cost, rent and sign. You
can do it every way you like. Let's just say
keep it simple. Take the average wage down to an
hour and multiply that by the number of the people
in the room. So if you have eight people in
a meeting, that's eight hours worth of person time. Then
(02:50):
you've really got to add in another fifty percent half
an hour at least before an hour meeting, because people
got to get their heads into it, a lot of
people have to do work for it and put other
things aside. And after the meeting at least now allow
another half hour because there's work to do from the meeting.
So one hour meeting times eight people costs far north
of nothing. It is basically two hours worth of eight
(03:13):
people's time. And that starts to Okay, Well, then this
meeting better have a purpose. We better actually do something
productive with this time.
Michael Thompson (03:22):
Okay, So if we start there, as the basic principle,
there must be a purpose for this meeting.
Yes, what next and an outcome?
Adam Lang (03:30):
So basic rules that I like, everyone gets to speak,
everyone listens, and leaders speak last. Right, there's some basic dynamics. OK,
good news fast, bad news faster. You can't hide stuff
in these meetings, and you can't make them just celebrate
only the good. Everything has to go to make decisions.
(03:51):
Everything else is secondary. Then this is really important too
for any unified team. There is no meeting outside the meeting.
If you're in the room, you own the decision. And
when you are asked by your teammates who decided, the
only correct answer is I did, and you stand by
that decision. You also therefore have to stand by the mistakes.
So I really like those dynamics. We saw Nuno Mattos from
(04:14):
anzed He asked for presentations to be cut to five
pages and respect everyone's time. We saw westba's Anthony Miller
Shorter sharper sessions as part of his broader hustle culture.
Jeff Bezos at Amazon, this is one that I really loved.
Six pages A template, A pro former template, Michael, can
you imagine enjoy it? If you want to bring a
(04:37):
decision to a meeting, you've got to prepare, describe the
context to challenge the decision, how it'll make life better,
and an outcome, and people for the first fifteen minutes
of that meeting, do nothing but read it. There's no
pre work. You get in the room and you read it,
and you make your notes in your questions. The discussion
has had and then you go to a decision or
you decide there's not enough information they need to go again.
(05:00):
So I really like that rigor around how to make
their meetings effective. And let's just say Jeff Bezos was
a driver, but look at the size of Amazon. That
has been one of the most impressive business stories ever.
Michael Thompson (05:12):
Something clearly works in that case the structure of the meeting. Yes, again,
start with a purpose.
Adam Lang (05:17):
Purpose okay, definitely got to have an agenda. Where are
you going with this thing? And what are the outcomes
we're after so that everyone is clear and ready. That
should be circulated beforehand. I really like ninomatos directive from
at A and Z A gender upfront, outcomes, declared, actions confirmed.
I've spoken about Jeff Bezos six page memo and Matos
(05:39):
five page presentation restriction, but you know, really it's anything
that's going to reflect your company culture and direct you
towards the business process and the outcomes that you need.
Loosely define the problem analyze it, decide what to do
about it, and act.
Michael Thompson (05:56):
Okay, what about communication then within the meeting and is
this where poor communicators can actually fall down?
Adam Lang (06:04):
It is, yeah, it is okay. And look it's incumbent on
the chair of that meeting or the most senior person
in that room. And this is very human, right, particularly
when you've got new people into a company, new into
a role. You in a meeting forum, everybody's got to
be allowed to speak and speak well, like, have the
(06:24):
comfort to speak what they need to say, and that
can be quite intimidating. So really the chair of that
meeting has an obligation to support that discussion, make sure
everyone's there on time, get there early, turn off your phone,
there is no computer open. You are focused in that
meeting to get an outcome. And so really it has
to be a respectful environment. You know, you're there for
the business's sake, to get an outcome. Respect everyone's point
(06:47):
of view, because frequently the best ideas come from lots
of different parts of the business, from the front lines
and back And as Brene Brown, the Leadership and Vulnerability
Experts says, clear is so just communicating that manner It
is not for performance theater. As much as we celebrate
melodrama in the theater itself and in the weekend edition
(07:11):
here at Fear and Greed, Michael, meetings shouldn't Really be a
place for that. They can be very distracting.Beware of humor
because that can take you off track and it also
can mask really clear communication. And again, once you've made
that decision, make sure that everyone is supportive. If there's
any niggling doubt in that room, that's the time to
get it out because after that meeting, you're going you're
(07:34):
all in a line to make that decision happen.
Michael Thompson (07:36):
Okay, so we've discussed what to do before the meeting,
During the meeting, what about afterwards? How do you get
how do you actually get the best outcomes out of
that meeting?
Adam Lang (07:46):
A single owner is always really important. I think that
one person owns the outcome and that is made clear
the at least. The meeting's end. You know that they know. That
they've now got the permission to go ahead on the
company's bar and do something.
Michael Thompson (08:01):
They own it.
Adam Lang (08:02):
And when they're reporting back, you know, there's some instances
where every twenty four hours is a good reporting cycle.
By way of example, if you're dealing with a crisis,
a safety incident that certain people may need to know,
you know, in a briefing a meeting what is happening
and what to do and how they can help. But
there needs to be a frequency of reporting decided on
as well. I think those clear action items and a
(08:25):
single owner are really really helpful.
Michael Thompson (08:29):
Well, I think you have just delivered us an eight
minute masterclass in meeting etiquette and protocols. That a good meeting, Michael,
That actually was the most efficient meeting I think we've
ever had, Adam right there.
Adam Lang (08:40):
Thank you very much. Thank you, Michael.
Michael Thompson (08:42):
If you've got something that you would like to know
and we can deal with these things very efficiently, then
send through your question on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or head
along to our website Fearangreed dot com dot au. I'm
Michael Thompson and this is Fear and Greed Q and
a just
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