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How Meetings Can Ruin Your Credibility

· 2 min read
Adam Kecskes
Adam Kecskes
Speaking Coach & Leadership Advisor

Have you been asked to setup a meeting? How do you arrange the invite and who do you include? How do you prepare and execute? Are you giving the presentation?

Look, we've all been there — the meeting that never seems to end, all the speakers tend to ramble, where the next scheduled group is impatiently knocking on the little glass window in the door, and worst of all, you have no idea what was supposed to happen. When you exit such a meeting, what runs through your mind? I'll bet it's something like, "next time Bob sends me a meeting a request, I'm going to ignore it."

Yeah, probably a good idea.

I've always been flabbergasted by seemingly pointless meetings, having been invited to a voluminous number of them. As far as I tell, historically speaking, most corporate meetings just stem form bad habits. Meetings are trope, a tradition, that has been handed down from when the industrial revolution was in full swing and people wanted to look important to their bosses.

They wanted to demonstrate credibility.

That was then. This is now. We're busier than ever trying to get our jobs done, and the last thing we need is someone sending requests that needlessly fill up our calendars. "Bob," wants to make an impression. Or maybe he literally doesn't know what to do next, and he's looking for input. He'll invite everyone! Hopefully, someone will show up to say something profound, letting Bob know what path to take.

Sorry, Bob. That's not a way to build credibility. It's not the 19th or 20th century anymore. You can impress your boss in far better ways — like by holding fewer meetings. And of those that you do out on the calendar, Bob, make sure you have an agenda, an expected outcome, and give a heads up in advance to each and every attendee why they are needed in this particular meeting.

You'll be more productive, your co-workers will be more productive, and your credibility will skyrocket.

Especially if you bring donuts 🍩*.

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