Meetings, meetings…there is no escaping them, even though we know many fail to serve their purpose; and they burn up our time that could be spent working toward our career goals.
What’s the problem?
Meetings fail or fall short of their objective for a variety of reasons.
The most frequent cause is that no one – not even the chairman – is in charge. This usually means a clear purpose for the meeting has not been established. An agenda has not been drawn up. So there is a lot of wandering around.
The door is left wide open for discussion of any and everything, other than the matter at hand. This condition also allows the showboats to get their time on stage. Turf hogs are permitted to take over and freeze others out of the discussion.
Some people may even prolong a meeting because they have nothing better to do, or they are avoiding work . Meetings are often called to achieve something a meeting cannot accomplish, such as drafting a statement. They may flop because participants have not done their homework. All too often, meetings end without a decision as to next steps.
Do yourself and your employer a favor by not contributing to the failure of meetings.
I wish you career success!
Ramon Greenwood, Head Career Coach
Common Sense At Work
P.S. Before the end of this week I will announce steps I am taking to expand and improve Your Blog For Career Advice.
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