If you are in a meeting, you are there to help make or follow through on a decision. There is no other reason why you are there... unless maybe there were extra donuts and they needed someone to help decrease the pile. Meetings with donut eating visitors are very rare, so a meeting where you leave feeling like nothing happened and it was a waste of time is an indicator that you personally just wasted everyone else's time. Walking out of the room with that downcast gut sense that nothing was done points to the fact that you know more about the topic and you held back. The reason each person is in a meeting is that they are experts (or growing experts) in the matter at hand. To have thoughts, clarity, or just questions and not share has devalued the meeting, those involved, and yourself in your leadership and team progression.
Now you may be thinking of meetings where you didn't know a single thing about the business at hand. No passes here unfortunately. If you are bugged by the meeting it may be the structure of the meeting that is wrong and those running it don't see it. Your natural reaction to what you are experiencing must be leveraged either directly in the meeting or soon afterwards with the appropriate parties for their benefit as well as your own. Not too many are gifted meeting coordinators and all are on the path of learning and growing in their roles. Most individuals you share concerns with will be appreciative. Of course in a meeting you wouldn't take over if you weren't the facilitator or leading it, so proper delivery of your concerns is key. Guiding questions are effective to move the conversation to actionable topics. Even "dumb" questions are sometimes effective. Ask reinforcing questions to clarify the topic and details. "So I'm hearing..." statement and question is a great way also to summarize where the meeting is with possibly even your own takeaways and then if needed a question or two that when answered by the meeting members will have next steps, decisions, or actions that can be taken outside of the meeting walls. To never hear or say "Well, I'll never get that hour of my life back again!" ever again would be ideal. There will be mis-run meetings or have the wrong attendees on the roster, but we also must take personal responsibility for the content and actionable conclusions of any meeting we attend.
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For much too long standards and formalities, while inherently positive in themselves, have hindered the true value of passion, creativity, and innovation. Hopefully through the topics presented new ideas and ways to change the culture and world around you will jump off of the pages reinvigorating you to take action and lead.
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