The Danger of Back-to-Back Meetings

The Danger of Back-to-Back Meetings

July 1, 2026 · 12 min · Episode 72

About this episode

Kate discusses the negative impact of back-to-back meetings on strategic thinking and leadership effectiveness.

In this latest episode, Kate explains how nonstop meetings crowd out strategic thinking, leaving leaders reactive, exhausted, and “behind” despite being fully booked. A leader’s job is to spot patterns, join dots, see risks early, and make considered commercial and cultural decisions - all requiring real mental space. Never having time to think means teams drift and leaders stay permanently reactive. Episode Highlights 00:00 Back to Back Meetings 00:54 Meetings Skit 01:28 Busy vs Effective 03:09 Leader Value Shift 04:24 Comfort Blanket Trap 06:51 Diary Is Leadership 07:27 Audit Recurring Meetings 07:57 Protect Thinking Time 08:29 Say No Ruthlessly 08:45 Over Reliance Warning 09:40 Wrap Up and Next Steps 10:02 Subscribe and Closing Useful links: The Digital Academy Online Course Free Resources and more information on Kate's coaching programmes Buy the "How to Lead" book Connect with Kate on LinkedIn Follow Kate on TikTok Contact Kate https://www.waterfallhill.co.uk/links

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