Four Simple Practices to Run Better Meetings
Show People That You Value Their Time
Here’s something most people don’t realize about managers: they have less power than you think.
They want to do a good job. They’re trying to deliver results while helping others succeed. They’re doing their best to balance short-term wins with long-term growth.
And they’re trying to do all this amidst a sea of organizational bureaucracy.
Very few managers have the freedom to lead as they want. They have to follow command-and-control procedures that were dreamt up by some bureaucrat who’s never managed a fruit stand, let alone of team of diverse people. Between reports that no one reads and forms that add no value, most managers feel that they’re trying to lead with one hand tied behind their back.
So, it’s not without reason that most bosses bemoan their lack of influence. If this is you, then I commiserate. You’re not alone.
But this also means that it’s critical for them to take advantage of the freedom we do have. We can’t complain about a lack of influence in one area while squandering it in another. Well, we can, but we shouldn’t. And one of the areas that we have near-universal control is in running meetings.
