🍚 Exec meeting is like bad fried rice (and why nothing gets done)

TL;DR

🍚 Exec meeting is like bad fried rice (and why nothing gets done)

⏱️ 3Ws to run effective Exec meetings (that move the company faster)

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Exec meeting is like bad fried rice (and why nothing gets done)

“No, you can’t.” That was my immediate answer. And no, it wasn’t the answer the founder wanted.

Because when I dug a little deeper, what he was really asking was this:
“How do I solve the entire company’s problems in 60 minutes?”

That, right there, is the same recipe for bad fried rice. 

🧂 Status update? Toss it in.
📉 Pipeline issue? Sure, that too.
👥 Hiring escalation? Throw it in.
🔥 Customer fire? In you go.
🗨️ Product roadmap debate? Why not.
🧭 Strategy pivot? Let’s squeeze it into the last five minutes.

If you throw everything in at once, you get a soggy, confused, beige mush.

And that’s exactly what a weekly exec meeting becomes when you try to cook every business problem in one pan. It steams, not fries. It gets dense, directionless and nobody leaves feeling satisfied.

Some execs walk out thinking, “Well, at least we solved my thing.” 

Others leave frustrated, “We didn’t even get to the important thing.”

Having worked with enough start-ups post-product-market fit, I can tell you this: Show me a company with just one weekly exec meeting, and I’ll show you a business with:

Honestly, don’t get me started on the cost. Put all your exec salaries into a spreadsheet, multiply by meeting hours…😱

Why do bad exec meetings happen in the first place?

Because everyone is in the room.

That’s it. That’s the whole reason 🤦🏻‍♀️.

There’s a psychological pull: “Since we’re all here, let’s fix everything now.” 

But just like frying rice, it doesn’t matter how many ingredients you have — if you add too much, it stops frying and starts steaming into mush (and you’ll start hearing Uncle Roger shouting ‘haiyaaaa!’).

Exec meetings suffer the same fate:

So, have more than one exec meeting perweek

I know, I know…founders hear that and cringe, “We can’t afford to have execs in more meetings.”

So here’s the question I push back with:

What could possibly be more important for executives than:

This is their job.

The real goal is not more meetings

The goal is to have the right meetings — each with a clear purpose, clear decisions and clear boundaries on what belongs in that wok (ahem, meeting).

And that’s the difference between bad fried rice…and a start-up that actually scales with clarity and momentum.

3Ws to run effective Exec meetings (that move the company faster)

There are far too many playbooks on how to run meetings – agendas, templates, timeboxes, facilitation models…all useful, but they send leaders straight into the weeds.

At exec level, the job is simple: make sure the company can move forward with momentum.

And momentum really boils down to just 3 questions:

Question 1️⃣: Who can make the decision?

I use “can” intentionally. Not who wants to, not who has opinions – but who actually has the authority, context and accountability to make the call?

Simple, but in my experience, you’d be surprised how often exec teams don’t know this. As a result, discussions drag on, more meetings get added and decisions stall.

Question 2️⃣: Whose input is needed to make a good decision?

Not every meeting requires everyone. You only need people who can add valuable insight, detect risks early and help shape informed decisions.

I need to emphasise this: input is not the same as authority. It’s not a consensus. And it definitely doesn’t mean including everyone just in case someone’s feelings might get hurt (that’s a different problem to solve).

Question 3️⃣: Who needs to know so they can execute decisions made with clarity?

The best decision still fails if the people doing the work don’t know what was decided, why it was decided and what it means for them.

So back to the weekly exec meeting — what problem are you actually trying to solve?

❓ If only the FOUNDER can make the decision:

Your weekly exec meeting should focus on decision readiness, not brainstorming. The exec team’s job is to bring data, risks and implications (not to debate endlessly 😫) but to give the founder the clarity to make a fast, confident decision that unlocks momentum for the company.

Examples: Entering a new market, pausing hiring to extend runway, changing pricing.

The exec team’s role is to bring the data, the risks and the options and trade-offs. So the founder can make a fast, confident call that unlocks momentum.

❓ If a SUBSET OF EXECS can make the decision:

Your weekly exec meeting should focus on alignment, not solving. Let the right group tackle the issue in a smaller, faster room. The exec meeting is simply the place where you connect the dots: “Here’s what we’re solving, why it matters, and what the organisation needs to know.”

Example: 

This doesn’t need the full exec table to solve it. A smaller group works it through quickly.

❓ If an INDIVIDUAL EXEC can make the decision:

Your weekly exec meeting should focus on visibility, not approval. Share the decision, the rationale and the implications. No fishing for validation. No committee thinking. This is how you keep velocity.

Example: 

The weekly exec meeting is about visibility, not permission. CxO shares the decision, the rationale and the business implications.

Answer the 3 questions honestly to move faster

If you can’t, no meeting playbook can fix your meetings. But when you can, the right meetings (and the right cadence) become obvious: leaner, clearer and built for momentum.

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