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