The Last Word: Jeff Bezos’ Meeting Strategy for Success

ttendees should be prepared to hear from others before Jeff Bezos at a business meeting. Bezos, former Amazon CEO, let employees speak first. His girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, founder of Black Ops Aviation, says Bezos taught her valuable management lessons.

Bezos believes managers should always speak last in meetings. This allows attendees to express thoughts freely, without being influenced. Bezos reshaped Amazon’s approach to meetings as the “smartest thing” the company ever did.

Instead of a PowerPoint, Bezos closed each meeting with a silent period for reading a detailed memo. This ensured everyone read the memo and created a context for good discussion. Bezos advised keeping memos brief and meetings under an hour. Studies show excessive meeting time increases stress and hinders work.

Other tech executives, such as former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, also endorse Bezos’ method. Dorsey starts meetings with attendees reading notes from Google Docs for 10 minutes. This gives everyone time to get on the same page and achieves truth and critical thinking faster.

By adopting Bezos and Sanchez’s practices, meetings can be more productive and efficient. By letting employees speak first and keeping meetings concise, open dialogue and focused decision-making are supported.