Southwest Airlines CEO: ‘Meetings aren’t work,’ so he’s blocking afternoons Wed-Fri

(SeaPRwire) –   Executives are sounding a warning: Meetings have become all-consuming, pushing actual productivity aside. Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan is among those voicing concern, stating that many in leadership roles incorrectly equate non-stop meetings with effective management.

“Early in your career, it’s common to mix up being busy and attending meetings with being a leader,” Jordan remarked during a CEO panel at the New York Times DealBook Summit in December 2025. “…The reason, I believe we all discover, is that you have no time for actual ‘work,’ and you start to mistake meeting attendance for the work itself.”

Jordan’s strategy to combat this has evolved into a simple principle: Guard his schedule diligently. His objective for 2026 is to maintain completely open afternoons every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday—proactively preventing any meetings from being scheduled in those time slots.

He recognizes this method may seem “extreme” to some, but he contends that CEOs are employed to perform tasks unique to their position—a feat nearly impossible when stuck in an endless cycle of meetings.

“This creates the space to focus on critical projects, to contemplate immediate priorities, and to reach out to necessary contacts,” Jordan further explained.

This tactic appears to be yielding results. Even after a turbulent 2025 for airlines, Southwest reported an unexpected profit in its October 2025 quarterly earnings. Compared to the previous year, its share price has risen approximately 16.5%.

contacted Southwest Airlines for additional remarks.

Meetings have become the bane of existence for employees and employers alike

Jordan’s irritation is widely shared. Meetings have emerged as a common frustration for staff and management across the board.

Throughout the pandemic, meetings served a quasi-therapeutic function, trying to replace face-to-face contact during isolation periods. The ease of scheduling without booking a room led to rapidly overcrowded calendars.

However, a 2024 Atlassian report surveying 5,000 employees globally found that close to 80% of people now feel overwhelmed by meetings and calls, leaving scant time for substantive work. The study also concluded that around 72% of meetings are considered unproductive.

This growing discontent is driving more leaders to drastically cut down—or even eradicate—meetings from company timetables, occasionally instituting full days without them. Nevertheless, analysts caution that a total ban on meetings might undermine team cohesion and prove counterproductive over time.

“The goal isn’t to abolish all meetings. Only the unproductive, inefficient ones should go,” Ben Thompson, CEO and cofounder of Employment Hero, stated in a prior conversation with .

How Nvidia and JPMorgan Chase tackle meeting overload

Other chief executives have implemented their own unique strategies.

For example, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang avoids holding individual meetings with his over 50 direct subordinates. He has explained that such a practice would clog his diary and, more importantly, hinder his team’s ability to solve problems efficiently, operate productively, and foster open communication.

“We built our company for speed—to let information travel at the fastest rate. To empower individuals based on their capabilities, not just their knowledge,” Huang commented during an appearance at Stanford University the previous year.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon employs a more direct tactic. In his 2025 shareholder letter, he advised staff to critically assess the necessity of every meeting.

“Consider another obstacle to our progress: meetings. Eliminate them,” he instructed. “When meetings are essential, they must begin and conclude punctually—with a clear facilitator. Every meeting should have a defined objective and result in actionable next steps.”

With JPMorgan mandating a full-time return to the office, efficiency is now paramount. Dimon stresses that meetings demand complete engagement from attendees.

“No dozing off, no checking messages,” Dimon reiterated at the Most Powerful Women Summit in October. “If you sit across from me with an iPad and it seems you’re reviewing emails or alerts, I will instruct you to shut it. It shows a lack of respect.”

An earlier iteration of this article was first featured on .com on December 15, 2026.

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