Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is easily one of the most successful CEOs in business today. In fact, he was recently named the richest man in the world. Naturally, Bezos has an unlimited supply of valuable tips for business owners looking to turn their own companies into the next Amazon. Recently, I came across an interesting article about his approach to meetings. Bezos believes in the philosophy that when it comes to meetings, the most people there are, the less productive the meeting will be. The idea is that most attendees will end up agreeing with each other instead of voicing their own opinions and ideas. In addition to promoting the belief that meetings should only be held when absolutely necessary, when he does hold meetings he insists that they follow the “two pizza rule,” which means you should never have a meeting where two pizzas couldn’t feed the entire group.
Of all the tips for success I’ve come across over time, there are few I agree with as much as this one. As Business Insider pointed out, whether you work at Amazon or another company, gathering together a massive squad for your meeting will probably just stifle creativity. In Fast Company, Rachel Gillett wrote that “the idea of working within small teams is believed to help diminish various innovation killers like groupthink and social loafing.” And as Business Insider’s Rich Feloni reports, other ingredients for a solid meeting include appointing a strong moderator, setting firm ground rules, and ensuring the discussion is relevant to all attendees beforehand.
At Fish, we’re a big fan of team meetings and brainstorms, and while I do believe that picking the brains of others can be a productive and valuable way to fuel new ideas, I also believe that gathering too large of a group negates the value of meetings. Inevitably, only a few voices will stand out, and many will choose taking a backseat to the most outspoken of the group as opposed to taking the opportunity to share their own thoughts. Incorporating the two pizza rule is a great way to ensure meetings aren’t a waste of time and serve their purpose. Not to mention, while the overall point of the rule is that less is more when it comes to meeting attendance, it’s also a good reminder that bringing pizzas to meetings is never a bad idea. *Hint to Lorne for the next team meeting*
