Indeed true Gale. When too many people show up to the same meeting, there are often too many cooks. Far too often in these scenarios, we don't make as much progress as we hoped. Limiting attendees to key decision makers can have benefits.
I have found that requesting that everyone attend meetings may be necessary, but having key personnel to attend meetings and disseminating that information to their subordinates is more effective than just having everyone stop what they are doing and attend meetings that are unproductive to most who attend.
I agree that meetings can be a waste of time Lauren. However, sometimes we do have to get together face to face to get the job done. In these circumstances, I recommend having a clear agenda in place before the meeting starts and socializing it to all involved early.
