Meeting Mindset

This was ingrained into me years ago when I did strategy consulting.  I still find it useful.

Calling a meeting:

• Always specify three things in the invite:
  • Objective
  • Agenda (ideally timeboxing each agenda item)
    • Last agenda item is always summing up/next steps
  • Expected Outcomes
• Failure to include these items means:
  • people you invite should consider themselves optional attendees
  • you cannot hold people accountable that choose to skip your meeting
• Being an optional attendee to any meeting means you can skip it
• Always ask invitees to suggest an alternate date/time if they cannot attend
• If an invitee rejects your invite without suggesting an alternate date/time they are not interested in attending and will reject future invitations, even if you reschedule the meeting
• All this stuff makes calling a meeting difficult – forcing you to think about whether you really need it

Showing Up:

• Early is On Time
• On Time is Late
• Late is Unacceptable
  • My employer used to lock the meeting room door when the meeting started. Late attendees would have to knock to gain entry (and were usually ignored)

Leaving the meeting:

• If the meeting starts running over attendees can get up and leave, regardless of what’s happening in the meeting
• Keep your laptop closed unless you’re using it to take notes or doing something related to the meeting