What Happens When You Only Go To The Important Meetings

Build greater meaning (and less overwhelm) in your work by leveraging your time wisely.

I work with an executive whose organization was swallowed up about a year ago by a very large technology company. At first, the transition from start-up to mega-corporation was challenging. But after some time studying the vast corporate structure, he now has some understanding of how the larger organization works and is learning how best to contribute to its success.

When I asked my client what had changed to clarify things, he offered this: “There’s a huge expectation in this organization to collaborate with other departments and teams beyond our little group. When I figured out which groups to participate in and which meetings were most critical, I began to navigate much better and was able to make a more focused effort with bigger results.”

Sound familiar? You find yourself juggling competing requests for your time and expertise from other groups, all while trying to meet your team’s goals. Many of my coaching clients report that time management is their number one challenge. And they report that it leads to frustration and overwhelm in their work.

Here’s the thing: strategic collaboration delivers outsized results. Research from Harvard Business Review found that up to a third of value-added collaborations come from just 3-5% of employees. So successful collaboration can be a game-changer. But as many stretched-to-the-limit managers know, this can also be a corporate minefield.

As you move up the corporate ladder, you’ll find yourself with more demands on your time, not less. There will always be more demands than hours in the day. So only you can really determine what’s important and how you create value with your time.

Here’s a straightforward way to think about prioritizing: Ideally, in order to deliver the greatest value as a leader, you should only be doing those things that no one else on your team can.

This is you operating at the highest level—it’s an aspirational state, but also a way to think about where you deliver the greatest value. It means being disciplined about your time, delegating effectively, and being willing to say ‘No’ at times.

So how do you gain back some of your time? Let’s look at some ways you can contribute at a high level while avoiding being sucked into the vortex.

1. Go to the right meetings

Meetings tend to be the biggest use of our time and often feel like the biggest waste of our time. We sometimes simply default to ‘Accept’ when invited to a meeting, resulting in wall-to-wall meetings and no time for deep thinking.

Before clicking ‘Accept,’ ask yourself if at least one of these is true:

  • I’m here to give direction to someone so they can do their job better
  • I’m here to receive direction so I can do my job better
  • I’m here to be informed so I can plan effectively

These are the best reasons to attend a meeting. Outside of those purposes, you can choose to attend, but it should be a conscious decision, not an automatic one.

2. Ask the right questions at the beginning

You want to be helpful and cooperative and accessible and visible. But if task forces and project meetings totally consume your time, you cannot possibly contribute your best. You’ll want to save your energy and expertise for those projects in which you have a comparative advantage—those cases where you’re uniquely qualified to deliver a contribution.

The folks who optimize their time ask some questions before agreeing to participate:

  • Am I the best person for this initiative? Do I have time and expertise to contribute at a high level? Could someone from my team or from another department do as well?
  • Is the collaborative approach the best approach for this particular project? What if, instead of group collaboration on every step, an individual or small group prepared a recommendation and then sought the group’s input?
  • How does this project support my team’s goals and the overall goals of the organization? Does this project push us forward on our priorities or serve as a distraction?
  • Can this effort be made at a lower level? These collaborative projects often serve as essential training and exposure for those at a lower level in the organization. Learn to trust the strengths of your team by giving them increased responsibility.

3. Be willing (and eager) to give a “Positive No”

Sometimes the best response is to decline the opportunity. You can do this in a positive way, without appearing uncooperative.

First, be responsive—answer the emails, even if you know it won’t be something in which you’ll participate. This is only courtesy and provides the recipient some certainty that you’ve received and read the message. Isn’t this how you’d expect to be treated?

Next, Caroline Webb describes the ‘positive no’ in which you acknowledge the value of the project while still declining and offer up some help:

“Thanks for asking me to be part of this. I can certainly see how the work is going to positively impact our operations. Unfortunately, due to other company commitments and priorities, I won’t be able to participate. But here are three suggestions for people you might want to talk with who have appropriate expertise…”

4. Document the goals and parameters of the collaboration

So many times, meetings take place without a clear purpose or outcome. Projects expand beyond their original intent—what starts as a quick assessment becomes a six-month initiative.

Come together on what you’re trying to achieve (as well as the limits to what you’re trying to do), write it down, and then check in frequently on how the group is performing against the goals. You’ll stay more focused and feel better about the time invested and the people you’re working with.

5. Be strategic about what you share

Here’s a useful distinction: Share freely the things that don’t cost you time—your networks, your documents, your expertise captured in writing, access to resources and tools. Be open to sharing this type of asset.

But guard your actual hours and your team’s bandwidth for work that advances your goals and those of your organization. Your time is finite; treat it that way.

6. Use collaboration to build your brand

Cross-functional collaboration takes effort. Success requires clarity around ownership and responsibility. But it also offers tremendous opportunity to build your reputation across the organization.

The person who can be counted on to prepare for meetings, to fulfill commitments, and to focus on relationships and results will get more opportunities and become known as a “go to” person. This can unlock opportunity for growth, learning, and responsibility.

Strong collaboration can pay big dividends, but doing it right is hard work. Success comes from a thoughtful approach and being aware of the resources you’re allocating. Like any worthwhile initiative, we work best together when everyone clearly understands what success looks like and the guardrails under which we’re operating.

And here’s the bonus: When you’re more intentional about where you invest your time, you don’t just become more productive. You create space for the work that matters most—the work only you can do. That’s where meaning lives.