Ever wondered if you could reduce meeting time by 30% ?

Thanks to the military and General CQ Brown you have a key

The higher you climb in the hierarchy, the further you get from the field.

The risk? What reaches you is often just a watered-down version of the truth.

An episode of Simon Sinek's podcast particularly struck me, the one with General CQ Brown, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Army.

🎯 The point that could be useful to you:

The General's method for obtaining reliable information. Bringing together three hierarchical levels during his meetings:

• The general (top management)

• The officer (middle management)

• The soldier (operational field)

✅ Why this approach works well

🎖️ For the general:

• Unfiltered information directly from the field

• Clear vision of operational reality

• Immediate alignment of all levels

🪖 For the team:

• The soldier feels heard and valued

• The officer remains aligned with decisions

• Reinforced commitment at all levels

⚠️ What we often do (wrong). We assume that intermediate layers will:

• Faithfully pass up information

• Correctly pass down decisions

• Make the connection without distortion

❌ It's false. And it's human.

At each intermediary, you lose information. It's even scientifically proven.

→ What you think > (of better quality) > What you say > > What the interlocutor hears > > What the interlocutor understands.

In the end, what the interlocutor understands is only a percentage of what I meant to say, with this loss at each stage.

💡 What it changes in my approach:

For any important project, I make sure that the person with the purest information is present in the meeting (the soldier), in addition to their manager. No filter. No interpretation. Direct information from the field.

🎁 The hidden bonus: optimizing time for better operational efficiency

• You reduce your manager's number of meetings by half, and you save them time (which is often a challenge for these positions where meetings are an important tool).

• The ratio of number of meetings per person goes from 0.5 to 0.33 (1 single meeting for 3 people)

So, are you going to test CQ Brown's method for your next project meeting?

PS: Follow me on LinkedIn or on this Newsletter to learn more in the coming times.

See you soon !

Franck ⟁