Industry professionals consider the pros and concerns of those calendar catchups
Many of us spend much of our working days in meetings talking about work rather than doing it – or so it seems. A quick look at your calendar will tell you just how much of your week is spent holed up in meetings, but how effective are they? It’s a pertinent question for mortgage professionals in an industry where time most certainly is money.
Tanya Elmaz (pictured left), director of intermediary sales at specialist lender Together, suggests that our calendar commitments could be killing our productivity, and has urged sector colleagues to rethink their approach. “I'm starting to think we need to get better at managing our meeting schedules,” Elmaz said. “Who is with me?”
In a post on LinkedIn, she recommends three ways in which these could be better managed, including implementing a 'no meeting' day or half day, to enable people to focus on work, setting boundaries, to limit the number of meetings attended, and scheduling what she describes as ‘focus time’ - blocking out periods for productive work and minimised interruptions. “Can we please make a pact to make every meeting count,” Elmaz urged, “maybe even reduce our meeting times to increase productivity?”
Matt Coulson (pictured second from left), founder of brokerage Heron Financial agrees it’s an interesting topic - and very relevant given how busy mortgage professionals are currently. While broadly supportive of meetings, he has some reservations about them in practice.
“Meetings undoubtedly have their place in mortgage businesses, particularly when used strategically,” Coulson commented. “At Heron, we've found that effective meetings serve as vital checkpoints that foster clear communication, collaboration, and alignment across teams. However, they can quickly become a drain if not managed carefully.”
Heron Financial proactively addresses how meetings are managed. “We've adopted a disciplined approach,” Coulson shared. “Meetings must have a clear agenda, defined outcomes, and respect for participants' time. We also embrace short, focused sessions wherever possible, leveraging technology to ensure maximum efficiency.”
So, how effective is this proving for the business? “This approach ensures our meetings genuinely contribute value, driving decisions, resolving issues promptly, and ultimately enhancing productivity,” Coulson explained. “In my view, the key to extracting value from meetings is balance and intentionality—ensuring they enhance rather than hinder productivity.”
READ MORE: Make time for a better work-life balance, urges specialist broker
The value of meetings
Meanwhile, Peter Dockar (pictured second from right), chief commercial officer at lender Gen H, acknowledges the extent to which meetings dominate his work schedule. “Looking at my diary this week, 33 out of my notional 40 hours are either in or travelling to meetings,” Dockar observed wryly. “So I’m definitely doing something wrong! But my serious perspective is that we work in a complex, people-focused industry where relationships matter and it is impossible to achieve real progress without collaboration. A productive meeting not only gets things achieved but also builds relationships and so trust - and you cannot collaborate without trust.”
Dockar is clear, though, about the required elements of a successful meeting. “An in-person meeting, with prepared, informed and trusted contributors is the single most effective route to achieving commercial, proposition, and strategic breakthroughs I have ever found. But some interminable Zoom call, or worse, Teams call - there is something particularly horrible about Microsoft Teams, where you spend most of your time multi-tasking is just a drain. Destroy those ones with fire!”
Neil Renwick (pictured right), a senior mortgage and protection adviser at CARA Mortgage Services is rather more fond of his Teams meet-ups, and see their benefit, particularly given the way that working practices have changed in recent years. “I really value our weekly internal meeting, especially since moving to remote working post COVID, where weeks can pass without meeting a colleague in the flesh,” Renwick said. “We usually hold ours on a Monday, via Teams, and it is a great opportunity to discuss the previous week, share any challenges we faced, talk about what went well and discuss the week ahead.”
Renwick does sound a note of caution though about how the frequency of meetings can impact their effectiveness. “I do feel that unless a specific need arises, then any more frequently than weekly, and they would start to lose relevance,” he warned.
