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An Agenda Guarantees Nothing - How to Avoid Creating a Recipe for Wasting Time

By Ann Latham
March 17, 2011

The demand for agendas at every meeting has accomplished nothing but the proliferation of agendas, predominantly bad ones. Most agendas are simply recipes for wasting time. Even those with great detail are usually guilty:

  • 8:00 – 8:20 Waste time on X
  • 8:20 – 8:30 Waste time on Y
  • 8:30 – This could go on for hours!

How do you recognize a recipe for waste? Watch for words like:

  • Discuss
  • Review
  • Report

These are treadmill verbs. There is no end. On a treadmill, you can always run a little farther, another tenth of a mile, another five minutes. And you can always discuss a little longer. Review more carefully. Ask a few more questions. There is no destination! There is no way to know when you are finished!

But at least those treadmill verbs are verbs! Some agendas just list nouns:

  • Finance
  • Project Hope
  • Test Schedule

Without a verb, you might think there would be no action. But alas, the extroverts don’t need a call to action. They just start talking. They will talk about whatever aspect of the listed topic is interesting, of concern or most recently discussed. The most focused ones will ask questions about the intent, but that is not common, especially when they are not comfortable or familiar with the meeting leader and don’t want to be seen as challenging or disruptive.

The introverts, on the other hand, will wait in silence. Even those eager to be helpful generally need a clear reason to respond.

Whether your agenda contains treadmill verbs or treadmill topics, the conversation often continues until someone points out the passage of time or the group stumbles on something of consequence.

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Recent Comments

Ann Your article is spot on! If all business professionals could learn the art of setting agendas with clear powerful objectives, meetings could actually be an more effective way of accomplishing goals as a group. I really liked you concept of the "treadmill verb" that gets us no where.
Posted By: Barry Demp on Mar 2011
Thank you Ann - as always you bring clarity to not only the issue, but the action steps to avoid the issue. One question - are you assuming that the attendees agree on the problem at the outset of the meeting? I have found very diverse opinions on similar matters.
Posted By: Lisa Hamaker on Mar 2011
As someone who has been to far too many disorganized and directionless meetings with such an 'agenda,' I completely agree with this article. The sample agenda alone would be good educational material for most managers.
Posted By: Jason Wisdom on Mar 2011
This is a timely column for me. In July I take over as president of my Rotary Club. I had already decided that our board meetings would not be as in the past, or as Ann calls them, "treadmill" agenda meetings. I am going to print this for my board book and send a copy to my entire board so we are on the same page. Great work!
Posted By: John Martinka on Mar 2011
I've had the chance to meet and work with Ann and this article, like her work, provides the uncommon clarity that is often missing in business. Nicely done Ann!
Posted By: Scott Wintrip on Mar 2011
Lisa - Good question. Before even calling a meeting, the leader should be clear about desired outcomes. The leader should also clarify those objectives at the beginning of the meeting and at each step of the way throughout the meeting. Confusion and disagreement about what you are trying to accomplish will put you right back on the treadmill.
Posted By: Ann Latham on Apr 2011