The Meeting Habit That is Ticking Everyone Off!
- Dr. CK Bray
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Header image by Freepik
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky recently asked his executives to name the company’s silent killers, what he called the “Fester List.” One answer stood out: too many leaders disengaged in meetings, distracted by phones and laptops. Chesky’s response? “I do it too.” His honesty underscores a truth: distraction isn’t just a junior-level habit, it’s a leadership failure.
This isn’t new. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon devoted part of his annual shareholder letter to the issue, calling phone use in meetings “disrespectful” and “wasteful.” He doubled down recently: “If you have an iPad in front of me and it looks like you’re checking email, I tell you to close the damn thing.” QXO CEO Brad Jacobs went further, dedicating a book chapter to “electric meetings.” He argues that most gatherings are so dull, attendees might as well be “human-shaped cardboard cutouts.” But when everyone is truly present? “It’s validating,” he says. “People actually listen.”
Leaders are now testing creative, low-friction fixes. At UKG, Chief Customer Experience Officer Bob DelPonte simply asks for phones face-down. Team members self-police with gentle nudges: “Hey, you seem somewhere else.” The result? A culture of presence, not punishment.
Not all device use is the enemy. At Goodwin Recruiting, CEO Andy Decker welcomes discreet texts like “LTP” (Land The Plane) to keep remote meetings on track. “It makes the meetings better,” he says. The key is intention over habit. Meanwhile, Barry-Wehmiller Chairman Bob Chapman takes a more permissive view: “It never occurred to me to ban phones.” In an era of flattened hierarchies and 24/7 connectivity, some argue that multitasking is now part of the job.
This post draws from real-world leadership stories in CEOs Are Furious About Employees Texting in Meetings by Chip Cutter. The Wall Street Journal, October 28, 2025.
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