When Meetings Replace Thinking: A Quiet Risk in Banking Culture
In his book Deep Work, Cal Newport highlights a subtle but powerful problem of modern workplaces: the over-reliance on regularly scheduled meetings. He explains how such meetings pile up, fracture daily schedules, and make sustained focus nearly impossible. Yet they persist—not because they are effective, but because they are easy. For many professionals, these meetings become a blunt tool of personal organization, forcing action through an impending deadline rather than through disciplined planning. Worse, they create a highly visible illusion of progress.
This observation resonates strongly with today’s banking and corporate culture.
1. The growing dominance of meetings in modern workplaces
Across organizations, regularly scheduled meetings have become the default mechanism for managing projects and people. What began as a tool for coordination has gradually turned into a routine that dominates calendars. Days are broken into short intervals, leaving little uninterrupted time for deep thinking, analysis, or execution. While everyone appears engaged and occupied, the actual progress on meaningful work often slows down.
2. Why these meetings continue despite low effectiveness
The persistence of such meetings is not accidental. They are easy to organize, easy to attend, and easy to justify. For many managers, standing meetings serve as an external trigger to act on tasks rather than relying on disciplined self-planning. The meeting itself becomes the driver of action, replacing thoughtful prioritization with deadline-driven urgency.
3. Meetings as a substitute for personal and managerial accountability
Instead of clear ownership and measurable outcomes, meetings often provide a shared space where responsibility is diluted. When progress is discussed collectively, accountability becomes vague. Decisions are deferred, actions are fragmented, and failures are absorbed by the group rather than owned by individuals. This creates safety for managers—but weakens execution.
4. The illusion of progress and visibility
Regular updates, presentations, and discussions create a visible sense of movement. However, visibility should not be confused with value. Talking about work is psychologically rewarding because it feels productive, even when it does not materially advance outcomes. Over time, organizations start measuring effort by participation rather than results.
5. Short-term incentives driving long-term damage
Many executives operate under evaluation systems that reward short-term metrics—weekly updates, monthly targets, and quarterly numbers. Long-term thinking requires patience, risk-taking, and tolerance for ambiguity, none of which fit neatly into frequent review cycles. As a result, leaders often prioritize actions that show immediate progress, even if they undermine long-term sustainability.
6. Risk aversion and the fear of deep thinking
Deep work involves uncertainty. Strategic thinking may not produce immediate answers and can expose leaders to criticism if outcomes are delayed. Meetings, on the other hand, provide psychological comfort and collective validation, making them an attractive alternative to solitary decision-making and long-term planning.
7. Are leaders truly working for the organization?
In most cases, leaders are not acting against the organization, but they are often optimizing for personal survival within the system. They work hard to meet visible expectations, protect their positions, and manage perceptions upward. Unfortunately, this can shift focus away from the organization’s deeper mission and long-term health.
8. The systemic nature of the problem
This behavior is not merely an individual failure; it is a systemic one. Organizations tend to promote those who appear responsive, busy, and constantly engaged. Quiet thinkers, long-term planners, and deep problem-solvers often go unnoticed. Over time, the system reinforces activity over impact.
9. The hidden cost: loss of thinking time
The greatest casualty of constant meetings is not time—it is thinking. Without sustained focus, innovation declines, strategic clarity weakens, and organizations become reactive rather than proactive. The company may look busy on the surface, but internally it loses its ability to evolve.
10. Reframing leadership and progress
True leadership is not about constant coordination; it is about direction, clarity, and trust. Meetings should support outcomes, not replace them. Organizations that consciously protect focus time, encourage ownership, and reward long-term value creation build resilience and relevance over time.
Conclusion
The challenge is not to eliminate meetings, but to question their purpose. When meetings become a crutch for planning, accountability, and leadership, they signal a deeper organizational issue. Recognizing this is the first step toward shifting from a culture of visible activity to one of meaningful impact.