Fix or Kill Dreaded Rituals

The insight: If people dread your team ritual, that's a signal something structural is wrong. Fix the format or kill the meeting. Don't force attendance to something that isn't working.

Why this matters: Dreaded meetings are worse than no meetings. They drain energy, create resentment, and condition people to tune out.

How to diagnose:

• •Ask: "If we canceled this meeting forever, what would we lose?"
• •Watch body language—are people engaged or checked out?
• •Notice patterns—are the same people always silent?

Options when a meeting isn't working:

1. •Change the format (add games, change facilitator, try async first)
2. •Change the frequency (maybe monthly instead of weekly)
3. •Change the participants (maybe too many/few people)
4. •Kill it entirely and see what happens

The courage required: Admitting something isn't working and changing it, even if it was your idea.