Why Great Leaders Don’t Over-prepare for Meetings
- Erin Hatzikostas
- Apr 9
- 3 min read
I recently read a LinkedIn post about Charlie Morrison, the CEO of Jersey Mike’s, that made me ridiculously excited.
Not because it was groundbreaking.
But because it was a perfect real-world example of something I talk about all the time when it comes to authentic leadership.
The story was about how he runs his company's town halls.
Like most companies, Jersey Mike’s has a question or suggestion box for employees.
But Charlie does something different.
He purposely does not look at the questions beforehand.
He walks on stage, pulls them out, and answers them in real time.
No scripting.
No pre-written responses.
No corporate communications team polishing the message.
Just real answers.
And when he does that, he sends a powerful signal to his employees:
"You’re getting the answer from me – not from something that went through six layers of editing and legal review."
And here’s the best part.
Sometimes he pauses.
Sometimes he has to think.
Sometimes he doesn’t have the answer.
And that actually builds more trust, not less.
Why Overpreparing Makes Communication Worse
I see this all the time.
Someone is preparing for:
a panel discussion
a leadership town hall
a board meeting
a big presentation
And the instinct is always the same:
“Let’s prepare every possible question.”
Then people start:
writing out full answers
memorizing responses
rehearsing every sentence
And suddenly what should be a conversation becomes a scripted performance.
In fact, there is almost no faster way to make a panel discussion terrible than to overprepare it.
Because when people read prepared responses, two things happen:
First, they stop sounding like themselves.
Second, they start choosing words they would never normally say.
They try to sound smart.
They try to sound polished.
And the result is something that sounds… completely inauthentic.
The Sweet Spot: Prepared but Not Scripted
So what’s the alternative?
I call it being half intelligent, half ignorant.
Now that might sound strange, but it’s actually the perfect leadership balance.
You should absolutely prepare.
But prepare the structure, not the script.
That might mean:
a few bullet points
the key ideas you want to land
the main story you want to tell
But not the exact words.
Because the moment you start scripting everything, you lose the ability to speak naturally.
And natural communication is what builds trust.
Don’t Prepare Your Words—Prepare Your Mindset
Instead of obsessing over exactly what you’ll say, prepare something much more important:
Your mindset.
Before going into a meeting or event, ask yourself:
How do I want people to feel when I speak?
What do I want them to take away from this conversation?
How can I serve them best in this moment?
When you focus on those questions, something powerful happens.
You stop speaking from your head.
And you start speaking from somewhere much more real.
Your heart.
Yes, it might be a little messy.
Yes, it might be imperfect.
But that’s exactly what makes it powerful.
Because people can tell the difference between something that’s scripted…
…and something that’s real.
Why Authentic Leaders Leave Room for Imperfection
Great leaders understand something most corporate cultures forget:
Perfection kills connection.
When every word is polished and rehearsed, the message may be technically correct—but it rarely feels human.
And people follow humans.
In fact, Colin Powell once said that leadership is about getting people to follow you “if only out of curiosity.”
Curiosity doesn’t come from perfection.
It comes from authenticity.
From honesty.
From someone who is willing to pause, think, and speak honestly instead of reading from a script.
Erin Hatzikostas is an internationally recognized leader on the impact of authenticity in the workplace. Learn more about her keynote speaking, workshops, and other authentic programs here.
