These three toxic power moves kill meetings

"Meetings are breeding grounds for three highly toxic power moves: AMPLIFICATION: The boss speaks, and suddenly it's gospel. People start self-censoring, sugarcoating bad news, and swallowing their dissenting opinions. INCOMPETENCE: When a leader can't run a meeting, it drains the room's energy. People leave annoyed and wondering why they bothered to show up. JERK BEHAVIOR: Bullies, interrupters, and blowhards hijack the room. Collaboration isn't just stifled-it's publicly executed."

"These power moves reduce meetings to lifeless, performative rituals where the people who hold the most power call the shots and everyone else plays defense. But it doesn't have to be this way. Design your meetings to defang these power moves, and you'll create a space where people speak up, push back, and bring bolder and better ideas to the table."

"Jade Rubick, former VP of engineering at New Relic, remembers the exact moment he became "brilliant." It wasn't because of a sudden surge in IQ or creativity. It was his promotion to senior director, accompanied by a glowing speech in front of his peers. Overnight, everything changed. In meetings, people went out of their way to praise his ideas. "Person after person would go out of their way to say why my suggestion was the 'right approach,' " Rubick recalls."

Meetings often suffer from three toxic power moves: amplification, incompetence, and jerk behavior. Amplification gives leaders an invisible megaphone so passing comments become marching orders and participants self-censor or overinterpret nonverbal cues. Poor meeting leadership drains energy, wastes attendees' time, and leaves people annoyed. Bullies, interrupters, and blowhards hijack conversations and publicly execute collaboration. These dynamics reduce meetings to lifeless, performative rituals dominated by the most powerful individuals while others play defense. Designing meetings intentionally to defang these moves creates space for people to speak up, push back, and surface bolder, better ideas.

Read at Fast Company