When you step into a leadership role, the noise is deafening. Everyone wants “five minutes” to pick your brain, pitch a tool, or discuss a vague idea.
If you say yes to everyone, you will accomplish nothing.
I used to drown in these meetings. My calendar was a graveyard of “quick chats” that went nowhere. I realized I needed a filter. I needed to impose order on the confusion.
I developed a diagnostic protocol I call The Gatekeeper Method.
It is not about being rude. It is about testing seriousness.
When someone asks for my time to “discuss strategy,” I don’t look at my calendar. I send this reply:
“I only take calls if we have a specific metric to discuss. What is your current ARR churn rate? If you don’t have that, we aren’t ready to talk yet.”
The Result:
The Time-Wasters: They vanish. They don’t have the number, or they are too lazy to find it.
The Serious Players: They respect the directness. They find the number. They come back prepared.
This method protects my focus for the work that actually matters: scaling revenue and cutting costs.
One Question For You: What is the one “hurdle question” you could ask today to eliminate 50% of your useless meetings?
Richard Ewing is a Product Executive and the creator of The Product Economist framework. He serves as a Strategic Advisor to B2B SaaS organizations, helping leaders audit their roadmaps for capital efficiency and prevent “model collapse” in their business models.
Stop guessing. Start auditing.
Connect on LinkedIn: Richard Ewing (MBA)
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