T I m e m a n a g e m e n t

Prepare an Agenda
Prepare an agenda for every meeting, and always follow a
written agenda. Prioritize the items on the agenda and deal
with the most important ones first, in case you run out of
time. As the meeting leader, your job is to keep the discussion
on track and push for closure on each item before moving on.
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Start and stop your meetings on time. If you have people
who are chronically late, you might consider locking the
door shortly after your start time. Another strategy is to
assume that the latecomer is not coming at all and just
begin the meeting. Once the meeting begins, ensure that
there will be no interruptions while you are in the meeting.
In his bestselling book What Got You Here Won’t Get You
There, Marshall Goldsmith says that one of the biggest flaws
in leadership is the tendency to dominate meetings that are
attended by the leader’s subordinates. Because you are the
boss, everyone listens when you speak. Over time, people
learn not to say anything or to interrupt, but just to let you
continue speaking as long as you want, on any subject that
you want.
Ask More Questions
In a meeting, be like the wise old owl that has two ears and
one mouth. Use your ears and your mouth in exactly that
proportion. Ask more questions and listen more closely than
you talk or contribute to the agenda. Use a meeting to elicit
the very best thinking of each person in the room, which is
not possible if you are talking all the time. 
The best and most efficient meetings are stand-up meet-
ings. You can hold this type of meeting, perhaps in your
office, only no one sits down and whatever needs to be dis-
cussed is discussed quickly and succinctly so that everyone
can get back to work.
C O N D U C T E F F E C T I V E M E E T I N G S
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It’s simple to convene such a meeting. You say, “In the
interest of time—because I know how busy everyone is—
let’s hold a stand-up meeting. That way we can cover every-
thing and get back to work faster.” Since people usually
are busy, you will find that, given the right time and place,
this type of meeting is very much appreciated by your
staff members.
As Peter Drucker once wrote, “Anything more than 25
percent of managerial time spent in meetings is a sign of
malorganization.”
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American Management Association / www.amanet.org

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