CEOs Stankey and Dimon Stress Importance of Prepared Meetings

AT&T CEO John Stankey and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon emphasize the importance of being prepared for meetings. Stankey notes that showing up without doing homework is not a recipe for success, and employees should come to meetings with informed opinions based on facts and data.

Dimon agrees, stating that he prefers it when employees speak up and disagree with him, as it shows they are willing to add value. He believes that leaders should create an environment where employees feel comfortable raising uncomfortable issues, even if it means putting a 'dead cat on the table.'

The two CEOs also discussed how their approach to meeting preparation is evolving in the age of AI. Stankey suggests that reading pre-materials may not be as effective as having directed conversations with AI, while Dimon uses tools like Gemini or Google to quickly gather information.

Dimon has long emphasized the importance of proper meeting etiquette and believes that employees should only attend meetings if they can contribute something valuable. He argues that unnecessary meetings waste employees' time and suggests eliminating them altogether when possible.