--- title: "Tuesday Buzz: Jeff Bezos’ Quirky Rule for Meetings" id: "39358" type: "post" slug: "tuesday-buzz-jeff-bezos-quirky-rule-for-meetings" published_at: "2017-08-15T20:47:30+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T20:09:24+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/08/15/tuesday-buzz-jeff-bezos-quirky-rule-for-meetings/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/08/15/tuesday-buzz-jeff-bezos-quirky-rule-for-meetings.md" excerpt: "Keep your team meetings productive by following Jeff Bezos' \"two pizza rule.\" Also: When it comes to tracking your online community performance, start with the basics." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Leadership" - "Meetings" - "productivity" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Tuesday Buzz: Jeff Bezos’ Quirky Rule for Meetings The one small downside of hiring an ambitious staff is that everyone wants a seat at the table. But internal meetings can quickly become unproductive when they get overcrowded with attendees. If you find yourself running into this problem, take a cue from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (one assumes he must know how to run an effective meeting). Bezos has what he calls a “two pizza rule” for meetings. “Unfortunately, the rule is not that there must be two pizzas in attendance, but rather that Bezos won’t hold (or even go to) a meeting if [two pizzas couldn’t feed the entire group (opens in a new tab)](http://lifehacker.com/follow-jeff-bezos-two-pizza-rule-for-more-productive-1797824738) ,” writes Claire Lower in *Lifehacker*. In fact, [Business Insider reports (opens in a new tab)](http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-jeff-bezos-two-pizza-rule-productive-meetings-2017-7) that Bezos isn’t a fan of meetings at all. He only meets with Amazon investors for six hours per year, and he avoids early-morning meetings. Minimizing the number of meetings he takes may just be a secret of his tremendous success. ### Essential Metrics https://twitter.com/LukeTZimmer/status/897206219684892675 **Assigning a dollar value to your online community** is difficult, but that doesn’t mean you can’t communicate the impact and effect that community has on growing your organization. You just need to make sure you’re tracking the right metrics. Start with tracking followers, but don’t merely look at the number you’re gaining. You also need to look at the followers you’re losing. “When you track these kinds of measures over the long term, you get an idea of your community retention rate or community churn,” writes Luke Zimmer in a recent post for [online community resource Skariphos (opens in a new tab)](https://skariphos.com/2017/08/03/community-manager-toolkit-metrics-and-key-performance-indicators/) . In addition, be sure to track your community’s engagement numbers, including shares or comments, but keep in mind that engagement KPIs vary across different groups. “Whatever it is, the real key to understanding your activity rates is understanding what your community’s purpose is,” says Zimmer. ### Other Links of Note **Professional associations have a lot to offer.** Corporate and government executives would be smart to consider how [associations breed future leaders (opens in a new tab)](http://www.science20.com/john_collins/membership_associations_breed_future_leaders-225219) , John Collins writes in *Science 2.0*. **Too much data can be tough to decipher.** The Effective Database Management blog recommends being more [selective with the data you track (opens in a new tab)](http://effectivedatabase.com/when-collecting-data-dont-overwhelm-with-choices/) . **Is your group experimenting with Instagram Stories?** Buffer shares a how-to [guide to creating attractive content (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.bufferapp.com/instagram-stories-templates) . (iStock/Getty Images Premium) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#productivity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/productivity/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/24/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F08%2F15%2Ftuesday-buzz-jeff-bezos-quirky-rule-for-meetings%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !