5 Game-Changing Meeting Habits from Bezos, Jobs, Cuban & Jensen

Hey

how many meetings have you been in this week where you mentally checked out somewhere between “Quick sync” and “Next slide, please”?

Yup. Those are the never ending Marvel movies!

But if you’re a new manager, here’s the truth bomb nobody warned you about: every meeting you run is like a live performance of your leadership skills. And trust me, your team is watching.

Wanna make sure they’re not just clapping out of politeness? Let’s borrow some habits from the big bosses—Bezos, Jobs, Cuban, and Jensen Huang—and flip the script on how meetings are done. 👇

🔹 1. The Ruthless Relevance Rule (Steve Jobs Style)
Picture this: Jobs once asked a woman in a meeting who she was, heard her answer, and politely asked her to leave. Brutal? Maybe. Necessary? Totally.

Why? Because irrelevant attendees = wasted time = disrespecting their calendar. Respect people’s time like it’s your own. If they’re not adding value, thank them and free them.

🍕 2. The Two-Pizza Rule (Bezos' Favorite)
If two pizzas can’t feed your crew, your crew’s too big. Big meetings create spectators, not contributors. Trim it down and raise the bar.

Pro tip: Share broader updates via a short video or email instead. Keep the real-time convo for action-makers only.

📖 3. Start with Silent Memo Reading (Bezos Again)
Forget slides. Start with a short memo and let everyone read it inside the meeting. Why? Because let’s be honest—nobody reads it before.

This trick ensures everyone’s informed and aligned before the first word is even spoken. Silent. Powerful. Effective.

📩 4. Async First (Mark Cuban's Playbook)
Mark Cuban literally hates meetings. His motto: “If it can be emailed, email it.”

Try solving stuff via Slack or email first. Async forces clarity. And people respond better when they’ve had time to think (and maybe sip some coffee).

🌐 5. Equal Access is King (Jensen Huang's Move)
At Nvidia, even interns can join exec meetings. Why? Because ideas aren’t about titles. Huang says, "Your contribution should not be based on privileged information."

Transparency breeds ownership. Let your meetings be open (and useful) to anyone who wants to make a dent.

⚡️ Quick Action Plan:

• Audit your invite list — if they’re not contributing, they’re out.

• Send a short narrative memo — problem, context, decision needed.

• Begin with silence, end with clear ownership & deadlines.

💥 Final thought? Leaders don’t just “do” meetings. They craft them. With just 3 of these habits, you can go from “ugh, another meeting” to “wow, that was worth it.”

Oh, and if this sparked something for you—check out "Death by Meeting" by Patrick Lencioni and "The Surprising Science of Meetings" by Steven G. Rogelberg. You’ll thank me later 📚😉