This meeting could have been an email. So could the last six.

There is a particular silence that falls over a conference room when twelve adults realize the agenda is a single bullet point that says “Discuss.”

We discussed. For fifty-five minutes. We left with an action item to schedule a follow-up meeting to clarify the action items.

I propose a simple rule: if your meeting can be summarized in a text message, it is a text message. If it can be summarized in a shrug, cancel it.

Until then, I'll be on mute, nodding thoughtfully, drafting this column.