I can’t say that I love meetings…who does. They interrupt my work flow and 9 times out of 10 nothing gets accomplished during a meeting except more questions.

Here are a few of my pet peeves about meetings

• Meetings without an agenda – if I don’t know what it is about how am I supposed to be prepared. Hmm…
• Inviting more than 5 people. Huge meetings are the worst time wasters. Very few people get to talk. AND most of the people who are invited don’t really need to be there.
• Marking the meeting as urgent and not saying why. The only person it’s urgent for is the person calling it…Why should I care?
• Meetings during lunch – unless you plan to feed people, meetings between 12-2pm are usually a monumental waste of time. Hungry people don’t focus well on anything but their rumbling stomach. They might look like they are focused but they aren’t 100 % present. It turns out that the brain uses glucose, a type of sugar, as a primary source of fuel. At least give ‘em some candy or better yet some fruit.

So next time you’re scheduling a meeting…could you please give some context…thanks…your loyal fan.

xoxo,
Frustrated Meeting Attendee ;)

© iStockphoto.com/dmbaker

I first heard about First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently when I bought Now, Discover Your Strengths. I decided to go take a peek at the book. The book is based on another study by the Gallup Organization and surveyed managers from a variety of industries.

The best take away from the book is whether employees can answer positively to the following questions:

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important?
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, have I talked with someone about my progress?
12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Great things to think about in your current position or when looking for a new job. I can’t say I’ve worked in an environment where I could answer positively to all 12 questions but I’ve come close a few times.

How about you? Is your work environment 12 out of 12 or under 5 or somewhere in the middle? If it is under 5, it is time to re-evaluate why you are working there and make some changes.