f I had a nickel for all the useless meetings I attended, I'd have many nickels!

Elon Musk reportedly send this mail to Tesla employees: 
 
1) Avoid large meetings 
  • Large meetings waste valuable time & energy 
  • They discourage debate
  • People are more guarded than open
  • There’s not enough time for everyone to contribute 
    Don’t schedule large meetings unless you’re certain they provide value to everyone 

2) Leave a meeting if you’re not contributing 
    If a meeting doesn’t require your: 
  • Input
  • Value
  • Decisions 
  • Your presence is useless. 
    It’s not rude to leave a meeting. But it’s rude to waste people’s time. 

3) Forget the chain of command 

    Communicate with colleagues directly. Not through supervisors or managers. 

    Fast communicators make fast decisions. 

    Fast decisions = competitive advantage. 

4) Be clear, not clever 

    Avoid nonsense words and technical jargon. It slows down communication. 

    Choose words that are: 
  • Concise 
  • To the point 
  • Easy to understand 
    Don’t sound smart. Be efficient. 

5) Ditch frequent meetings There’s no better way to waste everyone’s time. Use meetings to: 
  • Collaborate 
  • Attack issues head-on 
  • Solve urgent problems 
    But once you resolve the issue, frequent meetings are no longer necessary. 

You can resolve most issues without a meeting. 

Instead of meetings: 
  • Send a text 
  • Send an email 
  • Communicate on a discord or slack channel 
    Don’t interrupt your team’s workflow if it’s unnecessary. 

6) Use common sense

    If a company rule doesn’t: 
  • Make sense 
  • Contribute to progress 
  • Apply to your specific situation 
Avoid following the rule with your eyes closed. Don’t follow rules. Follow principles.