Eight faces stared back, muted or frozen, as the voice droned on. Not one person was taking notes, at least not that I could see through the pixelated screens. The topic: ‘Q4 Launch Alignment.’ The reality: thirty-four minutes and counting of someone reading a slide deck that had been emailed out 74 hours prior. We were supposed to have *read* it. We were supposed to come prepared to *discuss*, to *decide*. Instead, we were collectively participating in a bizarre, forced audiobook session, sacrificing an hour – no, eight hours of collective time – to what felt less like collaboration and more like corporate performance art.
The air conditioning unit in my office decided that day it would sing the song of its people, a low, insistent hum that matched the drone on the screen. It was another Tuesday, and I was trying to politely disengage from a digital monologue that had stretched well past its welcome, just hours before this ‘alignment’ catastrophe. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I preach efficient communication, yet here I was, trapped, watching someone reiterate bullet points with the enthusiasm of a tax auditor. We optimize supply chains, personal fitness routines, even the exact amount of foam in our coffee – but our collective time? That’s the wild west, a free-for-all where minutes are spent like monopoly money.
Collective Time Lost
Purposeful Engagement
The Cost of
