Many people think a manager is just somebody that sits in the conference room with a big notice board full of scribbles as other people rotate through to listen to a few minutes of random points while having a cup of coffee. A managers job is often thought to be endless meetings that have little use or purpose. Nothing could be further from the truth in real life.
Management is defined in the dictionary as "the process of controlling things or people". The job of any manager is to control the people, things, or processes that are assigned to their area to achieve a specific goal or purpose, typically within a specific period of time. An office manager controls the office to ensure all tasks are completed while a plant manager may control an entire factory to ensure all production goals are met, yet the actual job description of management remains the same - to control the things and people within that area of responsibility to achieve a specific known outcome.
There are many management tools to control people and processes and an infinite number of management styles, all designed to be most efficient for a specific purpose or each unique set of circumstances, but there is one tool that nearly all managers must master to become proficient - the "meeting". Many might argue that meetings are not tools. Some will claim they are a just another task, while others call them necessary evil, but if a meeting is to have any place in business then it is a tool.
A tool may be defined as "a device to implement or carryout a specific function”. What purpose is there to a meeting if not to implement or carry out a specific function? If there is not a specific goal or function to be achieved by a meeting then it is not a meeting, it would be better defined as chit chat or inconsequential conversation, better left to after work or lunch. A manger calls a meeting or attends a meeting for the purpose of achieving a specific goal. If that goal cannot be defined before the meeting, or has not been either accomplished, or a process put in place towards that goal’s accomplishment it by the end of the meeting then it was a waste of time. That means a meeting is simply a tool managers use to accomplish a specific goal.
The keys to a productive and successful meeting can be defined most simply by implementing the same rules of efficiency used in any business functions. The fewer resources used (to include time and personnel) while still successfully accomplishing the end goal, the greater the success. Time and people are a very important resource, and the resource that is most heavily taxed by meetings. Using both efficiently is the key to avoiding the archaic stereotype referenced at the beginning of this article.
Always a have a specific purpose and goal or objective for any meeting. Ensuring you know the exact purpose of the meeting is the only way you will be able to determine if it was successful or when the meeting is done. A meeting is done when the purpose has been met. A huge time waster in meetings is having a meeting for specific purpose and once that has been accomplished allowing it to devolve into a free for all about numerous smaller issues that is keeping many from important work to listen to things that serve a purpose to very few. When the purpose of the meeting has been accomplished dismiss the meeting and allow attendees that need to discuss smaller issues to do so amongst themselves as opposed to holding up the entire staff.
Have the needed resources present at the meeting to accomplish the goal. That means all the people needed to arrive at a decision or a solution need to be present, and any needed documentation or correlating reports must be available. Do not forget time - scheduling too little time "to get started” is mostly useless. A 30 minute meeting interrupted and followed by 20 minutes of recap at the next meeting is a waste of resources.
Have an appropriate location and the needed tools both before and for the meeting. Make sure there is room for all, as well as any audio/video equipment needed. Having a whiteboard for the purpose writing key points will keep the meeting on topic, as well as allow for visual explanation of complex points as needed. If there is substantial background material for the meeting ensure it is distributed well ahead of time and that people attending the meeting have looked it over in advance. This ensures that the meeting is being used to solve a problem, implement an action, or achieve a goal as opposed to just introducing people to the issue and then being sent to consider their input and reconvene for input at a later time.
Management is defined in the dictionary as "the process of controlling things or people". The job of any manager is to control the people, things, or processes that are assigned to their area to achieve a specific goal or purpose, typically within a specific period of time. An office manager controls the office to ensure all tasks are completed while a plant manager may control an entire factory to ensure all production goals are met, yet the actual job description of management remains the same - to control the things and people within that area of responsibility to achieve a specific known outcome.
There are many management tools to control people and processes and an infinite number of management styles, all designed to be most efficient for a specific purpose or each unique set of circumstances, but there is one tool that nearly all managers must master to become proficient - the "meeting". Many might argue that meetings are not tools. Some will claim they are a just another task, while others call them necessary evil, but if a meeting is to have any place in business then it is a tool.
A tool may be defined as "a device to implement or carryout a specific function”. What purpose is there to a meeting if not to implement or carry out a specific function? If there is not a specific goal or function to be achieved by a meeting then it is not a meeting, it would be better defined as chit chat or inconsequential conversation, better left to after work or lunch. A manger calls a meeting or attends a meeting for the purpose of achieving a specific goal. If that goal cannot be defined before the meeting, or has not been either accomplished, or a process put in place towards that goal’s accomplishment it by the end of the meeting then it was a waste of time. That means a meeting is simply a tool managers use to accomplish a specific goal.
The keys to a productive and successful meeting can be defined most simply by implementing the same rules of efficiency used in any business functions. The fewer resources used (to include time and personnel) while still successfully accomplishing the end goal, the greater the success. Time and people are a very important resource, and the resource that is most heavily taxed by meetings. Using both efficiently is the key to avoiding the archaic stereotype referenced at the beginning of this article.
Always a have a specific purpose and goal or objective for any meeting. Ensuring you know the exact purpose of the meeting is the only way you will be able to determine if it was successful or when the meeting is done. A meeting is done when the purpose has been met. A huge time waster in meetings is having a meeting for specific purpose and once that has been accomplished allowing it to devolve into a free for all about numerous smaller issues that is keeping many from important work to listen to things that serve a purpose to very few. When the purpose of the meeting has been accomplished dismiss the meeting and allow attendees that need to discuss smaller issues to do so amongst themselves as opposed to holding up the entire staff.
Have the needed resources present at the meeting to accomplish the goal. That means all the people needed to arrive at a decision or a solution need to be present, and any needed documentation or correlating reports must be available. Do not forget time - scheduling too little time "to get started” is mostly useless. A 30 minute meeting interrupted and followed by 20 minutes of recap at the next meeting is a waste of resources.
Have an appropriate location and the needed tools both before and for the meeting. Make sure there is room for all, as well as any audio/video equipment needed. Having a whiteboard for the purpose writing key points will keep the meeting on topic, as well as allow for visual explanation of complex points as needed. If there is substantial background material for the meeting ensure it is distributed well ahead of time and that people attending the meeting have looked it over in advance. This ensures that the meeting is being used to solve a problem, implement an action, or achieve a goal as opposed to just introducing people to the issue and then being sent to consider their input and reconvene for input at a later time.