Death by Meeting

A Leadership Fable about Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business

By: Patrick Lencioni

Narrated by: Jack Arthur

Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling author Patrick Lencioni's three previous business fables have sold nearly 350,000 copies. His latest takes on the most dreaded company activity...meetings - why we hate them, why we shouldn't, and how to make them great

The thought of meetings makes most business people miserable, but they're a critical and unavoidable part of what we do. Through fictional narrative, modeling, and practical solutions, Lencioni shows how to turn meetings from painful and tedious to productive, compelling, and even energizing.

The story follows an executive who finds his job on the line and his future dependent on his ability to dramatically improve his disastrous meetings. An irreverent graduate student comes into the picture with fresh ideas and a new perspective to help the executive turn things around.

This engrossing and concise audiobook will help improve morale, effectiveness, and the bottom line at the office.

©2004 Patrick Lencioni (P)2004 Audio Renaissance

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Business Information/Educational, 2005

"Finally, a real solution to an age-old problem. Meetings may never be the same. (Kris Hagerman, Executive Vice President, Strategic Operations, VERITAS Software Corporatio

this is a must-have

this is a must-have for any manager I highly recommend it regardless of the size of your team

I'm changing my approach to meetings

Lencioni provides helpful insight/concepts for increasing organizational productivity and morale by increasing the number of staff meetings and the specific focus of each. Using the fable approach, Pat weaves an interesting story that is entertaining and instructive. His model is helping me improve our approach to meetings and the way we conduct them.

Great book... will help shift ministry meetings!

Just when I felt like our meetings were becoming pointless a d not accomplishing what they should, I was recommended to read this book. It all makes sense now. This may help shift our meetings!

A Potential Solution for a Perennial Problem

Like many of Lencioni's books, the information in this book is played out through a realistic business scenario with a comprehensive review of the model at the end. This book tackles that perennial problem of how to make meetings more productive and begins with the premise that the purpose of any meeting is to extract the collective wisdom of a team or group of people. Lencioni suggests that the main problems with most meetings is that conflict is typically avoided and the structure of the meeting often does not match the purpose of the meeting.

A critical thought shift and engaging narrative

I have told my coworkers that the meetings were my job. This book provides a concise definition on why that is true, decisions that impact our work and lives are made there. It also provides great insight into how to structure meetings into right sized chunks and reinforces the need for making each meeting have a purpose other than, talk about everything. Overall a great book for thought provoking content given in a short fun story.

A Different Perspective

As an employee in a Executive/Management role, I can say that it made me take a step back and re-evaluate our meeting process. We as a company are looking into incorporating some of these techniques into our structure. Great read. Worth the investment and time.

Not his best, but still very good

What made the experience of listening to Death by Meeting the most enjoyable?

The fable method of story-telling works, but seemed strained in this itieration.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Not that kind of book.

What about Jack Arthur’s performance did you like?

Easy to listen to.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The analogy of meetings to entertainment works well.

Good high level guidance

Easy to listen to, decent reader and decent high level guidance by telling themes though a story.

Relatable Situations, People, & Meeting

Stereotypes come to life. Who hasn't sat through meetings such as this book depicts? Way too many organizations tolerate these types meetings and so help perpetuate the ongoing hatred of meetings.

This book should be required reading for leaders of all businesses and organizations, whether for or not for profit. In fact, in the charitable organizations I've led or been apart of I've seen these problems on steroids. Worse, I've been the primary perpetrator and a victim.

READ THIS BOOK. You'll be helping yourself, others, and every team, department, or organization you lead.

business lessons in stoy format

This was an interesting story illustrating the importance of business meetings and how to conduct them. I'm sure anyone who has ever attended a business meeting will find themselves somewhere in this story, especially at the beginning when they were doing it all wrong, and chuckle. There were many examples to reinforce the concepts of how to do it right.