If your meeting can't answer 'Why are we here?' in one sentence, decline it.

Every single leader I work with says the same thing. I'm stuck in way too many meetings that I don't need to be in. Then I say, why don't you decline the invite. They say, it's rude to decline. Folks. I'm sharing a simple practice that you can adopt across your culture that will change this! If there’s no clear purpose, there’s no meeting. Every single meeting should be able to answer two questions:

-> What is the purpose of this meeting?

-> What will be different by the time we leave?

If you can’t answer those, you probably don’t need to be at the meeting. And once the purpose is clear, we have to make it ok and a norm for people to decline the invitation.

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Some practical tips:

Step 1: As the organizer, spell out the purpose in the invite.

“Purpose: Decide X.”

“Purpose: Share updates so A/B/C can do Z.”

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Step 2: Be clear about who actually needs to be there.

“Required: decision‑makers A and B. Optional: anyone who wants context.”

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Step 3: Make it explicitly okay to decline.

“If you don’t see how you can contribute, please feel free to decline – no explanation needed. I trust you to use your time where it matters most.”

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Model it as a leader: “I’m going to skip this one because I don’t think I’ll add much. If you need a decision from me, send me the options and your recommendation.” When people know why we’re meeting, what we’re trying to move forward, and that they have real permission to say “no,” you end up with fewer meetings, better conversations, and more ownership.

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Here is a visual of this decision tree to help you navigate this process.

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