How to Make Decisions Asynchronously – And Avoid Yet Another Meeting

A 5-step guide to get real work done and clear your calendar for good

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“We need to schedule another meeting to finalize this.”

Another decision-making meeting ends with no resolution in sight. The only agreement? To schedule yet another meeting to continue the conversation.

How many times have you experienced this?

Unfortunately, you’re not alone. I’ve heard this repeatedly when helping organizations improve their decision-making process. Yet, when I suggest experimenting with an asynchronous approach, leaders react with skepticism. Meanwhile, frustration continues to grow as meetings exacerbate team dysfunctions.

People come unprepared. There’s no clear understanding of the problem, context, or implications. Everyone jumps to show they’re the smartest person in the room. The entire team spends hours solving the wrong problem, and the rush to move forward dismisses outliers, resulting in shallow agreements.

Unsurprisingly, only 20% of executives say their organizations excel at decision-making, according to McKinsey. Everyone agrees that …