The Meeting That Keeps Coming Back to Haunt You

“That was a good conversation.”

You’ve probably said it. You’ve probably heard it. It feels like the right note to end on — warm, respectful, everyone’s time well spent.

But here’s the question worth sitting with: was it?

Because somewhere between the energy and the engagement and the “that makes sense” comments, something important slipped out the back door.

The thing you actually came to resolve.

The Good Conversation Trap

Here’s what makes the miss so hard to catch.

There was energy. People engaged. No one argued. It felt productive.

But a conversation can feel good and still not move the work. And here’s the harder truth: if it didn’t produce a decision everyone is committed to, it wasn’t a good conversation.

I’m guilty of this too. We all are. Research backs it up — more than half the people in any given room leave without knowing what was decided or who owns what. The issue surfaces again the following week, a little more loaded, a lot more tired. Eventually you stop losing time. You start losing people.

If your team rates its conversations — whether you run on EOS or just have high standards — ask yourself what you’re actually rating. A 10 isn’t a conversation that feels good. It’s a conversation that generates a decision everyone owns.

The Fix Is Embarrassingly Simple

There’s a habit that prevents all of this. A brief wrap-up before anyone closes their laptop — recapping what was covered, what was agreed, and who owns what. It takes sixty seconds.

It’s like flossing. Incredibly beneficial, easy to do, and the first thing to slide when you’re rushed, tired, or already thinking about the next conversation.

The wrap-up isn’t a formality. It’s the moment the conversation actually finishes.

Name the decision. Name the owner. If you can’t do either…you’re not done yet.

To finishing what you start,

Laurie