Great meetings aren’t managed. They’re produced.

I have a secret.

Just like Michael Scott from The Office, I want people to cheer at the end of every meeting.

“All right everybody, conference room, five minutes. Bring your cheering voices.”

Most meetings suck. But when they don’t? You feel it.

People DM you after with:
“That was elite.”
“I feel fired up.”
“Best meeting I’ve been in.”

…and all you did was run the meeting well.

So here’s my philosophy:

Great meetings aren’t managed. They’re produced.

Now, I’m not talking about all meetings.

I’m talking about realignment meetings.

The moments where you gather the team, re-center the mission, and point the ship toward its next destination.

Weirdly, the best training I’ve had for running meetings wasn’t in startups.
It was from being a Dungeon Master in Dungeons & Dragons.

Here’s what that taught me:

• You’re Not the Main Character — They Are
  Your job isn’t to monologue. It’s to set the scene, then get out of the way.
  The magic happens when your players surprise you.

• Momentum Is Fragile
  One tangent can stall a campaign — or a meeting.
  Guard the flow like it’s your job. Because it is.

• The Vibe Is Everything
  People don’t remember your slide deck. They remember how they felt.
  That epic boss battle. That hilarious fail. Make the moment count.

Turns out, good meetings and good D&D both need the same thing: clarity, flow, and energy.

You’re Not Running a Meeting — You’re Running a Show

A 30-minute meeting with 10 people is 5 hours of company time.

You owe it to the team to make it good.

That doesn’t mean dramatic. It means intentional.
Pacing. Energy. Hook. Climax. Clean ending.

Think like a showrunner:

• What’s the hook?

• Where’s the emotional peak?

• How do we close strong?

No one wants to watch a movie with no climax and no ending. Same goes for meetings.
You’re building rhythm, narrative, and emotional payoff.

The Pillars of Running a Strong Show

• Clarity > Consensus

  A mediocre decision made fast beats no decision made slow.
  Assign ownership. Drive clarity.

• Silence ≠ Agreement

  Call on quiet people. “Haven’t heard from you — anything missing?” is a power move.

• “Let’s take it offline” Is Leadership 

  Tangents kill energy. Respect the room. Cut cleanly.

• Shoutouts Are a Cheat Code 

  Public praise is free dopamine. Use it to build energy and reinforce culture.

• Meetings Mirror Culture 

  Bloat. Chaos. Silence. Over-talk.  

  Your meeting room is your company in miniature. Watch it closely.

How I run my Show - tactical framework

Here’s how I run the show:

🎭 Cold Open:
Ditch “How was your weekend?”
Try:

• “Aidan — you look like you just pulled off a heist.”

• “Amada — you’ve got main character energy today. What’s going on?”

Start with surprise. Break the pattern.

📖 Quiet Reading Time:
Updates are written. Everyone reads.
Faster, fairer, and avoids airtime hogs.

Focus on:

• Critical updates

• Shoutouts

• What’s changed since last week

📊 Priority Review:
Focus on the numbers and goals.
Review them like you’re hunting blockers with a sniper scope.

Go through initiatives by priority.
Each item should have a clear owner and a progress update.

🙌 Strong Close:
Sync clap. Superhero pose. Gratitude round.
End on a high. Always.

The best meetings don’t just inform.  

They align. They energize. They stick.
People remember how they felt.

So yeah — maybe it’s silly. But if I get a Slack DM after a meeting that says:

• “That was sick.”  

• “You crushed that.”  

• “Let’s f***ing go.”

Then yeah — I’ll take my Michael Scott moment.  

Because that means the show worked.

“Now… conference room, five minutes. Bring your cheering voices.”

Ajay