How Top Leaders Like Bezos, Gates, Musk, and Jobs Revolutionized Team Meetings

In the world of business, meetings are a necessary evil, often seen as tedious and unproductive.

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However, some of the world’s most successful CEOs — Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Steve Jobs — have turned this notion on its head, transforming meetings into powerful tools for efficiency and innovation. Here’s how these visionary leaders have redefined the art of the meeting.

Jeff Bezos: The Master of Efficiency

At Amazon, Jeff Bezos introduced a few key principles:

• The Two-Pizza Rule: If two pizzas can’t feed the entire group, the meeting is too large. This rule keeps meetings small and manageable​​.
• Silent Start: Amazon meetings often begin with silence, where everyone reads pre-prepared memos. This ensures everyone is on the same page and thinking critically before any discussion begins​​.
• Narrative Over PowerPoint: At Amazon, narrative memos are preferred over slideshows to encourage deeper engagement with the content​​.

Bill Gates: Embracing Digital Tools