Remember, if you can get it done without a meeting...
If you absolutely have to have a meeting, please follow these guidelines:
Consensus is the death of all companies. Do not use meetings as a means to delegate a solution to a committee that you can own yourself.
Referring the matter to a committee can be a device for diluting authority, diffusing responsibility, and delaying decisions.
Instead, gather your facts first and produce a solution using your findings.
A meeting should always be seen as a last resort.
When you do have a meeting please keep them as short as possible, small and focused on a clear agenda.
Unless the meeting is a 1:1 there should be clear questions we are trying to answer during the meeting.
Start by explaining why you needed to call a meeting, what you're hoping to achieve and how you’ll get there in the allotted meeting time.
If you’re not adding value or could spend your time better please politely excuse yourself from the meeting. No one should take offence to this!
One exception, all-hands meetings.