Why the Southwest CEO Just Killed Afternoon Meetings and What Leaders Should Learn From It
For many leaders, a packed calendar has become a badge of honor. Meetings back-to-back. No white space. Constant motion.
But Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan is challenging that mindset by intentionally blocking Wednesday through Friday afternoons as no-meeting time.
Not as a perk.
Not as a productivity “hack.”
But as a leadership decision.
The Problem: When Busy Becomes a Leadership Trap
Jordan put words to something many executives feel but rarely say out loud:
It’s easy to confuse being in meetings all day with actually leading.
When calendars are filled edge to edge:
Strategic thinking gets pushed to nights and weekends
Decisions slow down instead of speeding up
Leaders become reactive instead of directional
Teams confuse activity with progress
Ironically, the more senior the role, the less time leaders often have to do the work only they can do.
The Shift: Protecting Time for Real Leadership Work
Jordan’s solution is deceptively simple:
He blocks three afternoons a week, so no one can schedule meetings.
That time is used for:
Thinking and prioritizing
Reviewing strategy and performance
Making decisions that don’t fit neatly into a meeting agenda
Doing work that actually moves the business forward
This isn’t about working less, it’s about working with intention.
Why This Matters Beyond Southwest
This move reflects a broader trend I see across organizations of all sizes:
Leaders are exhausted but not ineffective
Teams are busy but not aligned
Meetings are plentiful, but decisions are scarce
Research consistently shows that a large percentage of meetings are viewed as unnecessary or unproductive. Yet instead of fixing the system, most companies add… more meetings.
What High-Performing Teams Do Differently
The most effective leadership teams I work with don’t eliminate meetings - they design them.
They:
Protect focus time as aggressively as meeting time
Set a clear bar for when a meeting is actually needed
Separate thinking work from status updates
Build operating rhythms that support strategy, not suffocate it
Blocking time on the calendar sends a powerful signal: Thinking is part of the job - not something you squeeze in later.
A Simple Experiment You Can Try
You don’t need to be a Fortune 500 CEO to test this.
Try a 30-day pilot:
Designate 1–3 protected blocks per week (no meetings allowed)
Set meeting standards (purpose, decision needed, owner, pre-read)
Track what changes: decision speed, clarity, follow-through
Most teams are shocked by how much better the work gets with fewer meetings.
The Takeaway
Leadership isn’t about filling your calendar.
It’s about creating the space to think clearly, decide deliberately, and lead intentionally.
Sometimes the most strategic move isn’t adding another meeting - it’s blocking one.
If you want help redesigning your leadership operating rhythm so strategy and execution actually connect, that’s precisely the work we do.
