A colleague recently told me that his ex-boss, a (CEO minus one) leader at one of the largest global IT MNCs has a 10-minute meeting rule. He gives only 10-minute meeting slots to people and the structure of those 10 minutes is also pre-ordained: 2 minutes to define the issue, 8 minute to discuss the issue and remaining 2 minutes to agree on actions. “Does it always work out in 10 minutes?”, I asked him amazed. “At first we fumbled and made a mess of our 10 minutes, but the fact that he didn’t show any leniency with time ensured that we quickly cleaned-up our acts. Now before a meeting with him everyone ensures that they are very well prepared, well-rehearsed and always ready with necessary documentation and crisp pitches. It’s provided tremendous agility and efficiency to our team”.

Reminded me of British musician Christine McVie’s famous words: ‘the best songs are always written in 10 minutes’!