Take Charge of Your Meeting Time!

Challenge Your Thinking

When I start working with a new client one of my first questions I ask is about the culture of meetings within the organization. What I'm looking for is really how much time is being lost or wasted in non-productive meetings. Here are some tips about taking charge of meetings when you are not in charge .

When you get the meeting agenda or calendar request, let the organizer know that you have a limited window and will need the meeting to start/end by X
Only accept meeting requests that include an agenda. If you don't get an agenda, ask the meeting organizer, "what is this meeting for? How should I prepare?
If possible, block 10-15 minutes of time before each meeting so you don't get scheduled back to back. And, use that time to review the agenda items for your meeting and prepare for the discussion so that you can contribute actively.
When you arrive at the meeting, announce to the meeting organizer that you have to leave at X time (and then leave when you said you would!)
As the meeting comes to within the last 10 minutes of its stated length, try to encourage a prompt ending by saying, "Since we only have 10 minutes, what agenda items should we focus on in the remaining time?" or "Since we only have 10 more minutes for this meeting, should we schedule another meeting for the remaining items?"
Be mindful of your own distractions; pay full attention to the meeting rather than multi-tasking. Model the behavior you want to see in your colleagues.
If you must take a call or respond to an email, apologize and leave the meeting for a moment or let the organizer know that you may be receiving an important call and will leave temporarily to take it. Considering the other participants is a sign of respect.
Ask the meeting organizer to clarify the use of technology in the meeting and announce the policy to everyone

Global Organization Consulting

As the Executive V.P. of Human Resources located in Paris, I had the functional leadership challenge of evolving an existing HR organization into an international team capable of meeting the professional challenges of a changing French global manufacturing business.

Based on the initial geographical challenges we faced, I engaged Norm Gauthier to provide organizational consulting support in the U.S. I knew he was someone I could work with and trust, especially in working remotely with me from Europe. His experience, allowed him to quickly assess what we had, the major challenges we faced, and helped identify step by step what needed to be done. He also helped define the needs in terms of skills and competencies required in building an effective international HR presence.

He used his business consulting experience and knowledge of HR practice to carefully focus on individual and collective development 'gaps' creating conditions that allowed team members to take risks, experience new roles and ...in the end take on more of a leadership position. During this change management process, he took on individual and team coaching assignments in support of several organizational initiatives. He also developed several international train-the-trainer development modules, linking each to the staged development and roll-out of critical management tools.

Results of the work… we now have a worldwide HR organization that uses the same processes and tools despite their location in the world, which is rare for a Global company. Our HR members are recognized by Business Unit management as professionals they involve early in the change process to provide advice and counsel. And, with the focus on developing leadership and accountability at the operational HR management level, the team now exercises a different level of problem solving and collaboration that requires less leadership time and involvement in decision making.

An outstanding work quality that is very effective…Norman respects the fine line between the 'decision maker' and the team - thus creating a challenging environment for the boss and a safe environment for the team to take on initiatives and risk - learning conditions that we needed.

J. Dekker,
Executive V.P., Human Resources Sperian Protection