When you dread a meeting, ask why: you're exhausted, the purpose is unclear, or there's no connection. Then fix that cause.
As a founder, much of my time went to meetings I felt I "needed" to take. I was a meeting-email-todo-list completing machine, ignorant of what I was feeling, and the obligation set me up to struggle. Now I treat my mood before a meeting as data. If you're energized, that's telling you something. If you're dreading it, that's telling you something too. Relationships are marathons, and you can't stay in them for the long haul by always toughing it out.
- You're exhausted. Reschedule, or change the format. I loathe morning meetings (my focus time) and late afternoons run low, so I adjust my calendar. - The purpose is unclear. Ask for or set an agenda. If neither of you has one, that's a reason to cancel. - There's no connection. You probably know less about this person than you think. Get curious and try a little small talk.
Late on a Thursday, my calendar pinged: Meeting with Joe. Ugh. I paused and checked in. I'd lost track of the agenda, and I was exhausted. So I reread our emails to remember the why, joined from my phone, and told Joe I'd been in front of a camera all day and needed to move around. Joe joined in, and we had a fantastic conversation.
"I want to make sure we make good use of our time. Do you have an idea of what you'd like to cover to make this meeting as valuable as possible?"