3. Start and Stop on Time
Start and stop the meeting on time. Set a schedule for the beginning of the meeting, and set a time for the end of the meeting. If the meeting is going to run from eight until nine, start it at eight o’clock sharp and end it at nine o’clock sharp.
The worst type of meetings are the ones that start at a specific time but have no clearly determined ending time.
Here is another rule: don’t wait for the latecomer. Assume the latecomer is not coming at all, and start at the designated time. It is unfair to punish the people who are there on time by making them wait for the person who gets there late, if at all.
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Many companies establish the policy of locking the meeting room from the inside at the exact time the meeting is scheduled to start. The people who show up late are not allowed in. You can be sure that they don’t show up late the next time.
4. Cover Important Items First
Cover the most important items first. When you draw up the agenda, apply the 80/20 Rule. Organize the agenda so that the top 20% of items are the first items to be discussed. This way, if you run out of time, you will have covered the items that represent 80% of the value of the meeting before the time runs out.
5. Summarize Each Conclusion
When you discuss each item, summarize the discussion and get closure. Get agreement and completion on each item before you go onto the next one.
Restate what has been decided upon and agreed to with each item before you proceed.
6. Assign Specific Responsibility
If you have made a decision, assign responsibility for the specific actions agreed upon and set deadlines. Remember, discussion and agreement without an assignment of responsibility and a deadline for completion is merely a conversation. Be clear about who is going to do what and by when.
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7. Keep Notes and Circulate Minutes
A key to assuring maximum effectiveness from meetings is to keep accurate notes and to circulate the minutes of the meeting within 24 hours whenever possible. The person with accurate minutes from a meeting that can be pulled out a week or a month later can resolve a lot of potential misunderstandings.
Agendas prepared in advance, followed by meeting minutes shortly afterwards, assure that everyone is clear about their agreed upon responsibilities and deadlines.
Putting Out Fires
Another major time waster in work is called “fire fighting,” or dealing with the unexpected crisis. It is a major time consumer both in personal life as well. One way to deal with these unexpected crises is to engage in what is called “crisis anticipation.” We talked about this earlier. Crisis anticipation requires that you look down the road into the future and ask, “What could possibly go wrong, and what would we do if it did?”
In using crisis anticipation, you should ask, “What is the worst possible thing that could happen in the next three, six, nine or twelve months? What are the possible crises that could occur?”
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Plan for the Worst
One of the characteristics of great leaders throughout history is that they developed the ability to think ahead and determine all the things that could possibly go wrong. They would then plan for contingencies in advance.
When something did go wrong, they were ready to move quickly. They had already thought it through.
Poor leaders on the other hand don’t take the time to think of all the things that could go wrong. They trust to luck. They then become overwhelmed by circumstances. Sometimes, the inability to think through possible crisis in advance can be fatal to a job or career.
Crises are normal, natural and unavoidable in the history of any company or organization. But the recurrent crisis, the crisis that happens over and over again, is a sign of poor management and inefficient organization. If you have the same crisis happen more than once, it is important that you stand back and look at your systems. Why is this occurring? You then take the steps necessary to ensure that it does not happen again.
Crisis Management Strategies
When an emergency or a crisis occurs, here are five steps to follow: 1. Think before Acting
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Stop and think before acting. Remember, action without thinking is the cause of every failure. Take a deep breath, calm down and remain objective.
Refuse to react or overact. Instead, just stop and think. Take the time to find out what happened. Be clear about the problem before you act.
2. Delegate Responsibility
Delegate action wherever possible. There is a rule that says, “If it is not necessary for you to decide, it is necessary for you not to decide.” If you can possibly delegate the responsibility for handling the crisis to someone else, by all means do so. Someone else might be much better qualified to deal with it than you, or it may be someone else’s responsibility in the first place.
3. Write It Down
Whatever the crisis, write it down on your list before you take action. When you write down a problem, it helps to keep your mind cool, calm, clear and objective. Write down exactly what has happened before you do anything.
4. Get the Facts
Get the facts. Don’t assume anything. The facts are perhaps the most important elements of all in a crisis. Ask questions such as: What has occurred?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
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How did it happen?
Why did it happen?
Who was involved?”
Get the facts. Remember, the facts don’t lie. The more facts you gather, the more capable you will be of dealing with the problem when you take action.
5. Develop a Policy
Develop a policy to deal with a recurring crisis simple enough so that it can be implemented by ordinary people. When a crisis occurs for the first or second time, it may require tremendous intelligence, experience and energy to deal with it effectively. But if a crisis has a tendency to occur more than once, and you cannot find a way to eliminate the crisis in advance, you should by all means develop systems so that an average person can handle it in your absence.
Socializing Can Hurt Your Career
A major time waster in the world of work is socializing. Too much socializing can sabotage your career if you become well known for it. Most people are time wasters, time consumers. They are working well below their capacity. So they have lots of time to socialize and engage in idle chatter.
Here are some ideas you can use to avoid getting trapped into excessive socializing.
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1. Socialize at Appropriate Times
Arrange to do your socializing at coffee breaks, lunch and after work.
Whenever you find yourself being drawn into a non-work related conversation with coworkers, or socializing, say to yourself, “Back to work.”
Break off the conversation by saying, “Well, I’ve got to get back to work”
and then do it. It is amazing how often the use of these words will cause other people to get back to work as well.
Always be asking yourself, “Is this what I’m being paid to do?” If my boss were standing here right now, would I be doing this? If my boss were sitting right in that chair, would I be carrying on this conversation in this way? If you wouldn’t do it if your boss were there, it is probably not what you have been hired to do.
2. You Are a Knowledge Worker
There is one exception with regard to socializing. It is that relationships with knowledge workers are unavoidably time consuming. Some of the most valuable time you spend at work is talking through and working out problems and solutions to the challenges facing your business. But these conversations must be focused on results, not on the latest football game or fishing or summer holidays.
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Relationships, communications and discussions with knowledge workers must be continually focused on the results that you and they are trying to accomplish.
Socrates once said, “We only learn something by dialoging about it.” In certain work environments, the time that you take to dialogue about and discuss the work is an essential part of developing clarity about exactly what is to be done before you begin the work itself.
Indecision and Poor Decision Making
A major time waster in work is indecision or poor decision-making.
Indecision and poor decision-making can cost enormous amounts in terms of money and lost time. A basic rule with regard to decision-making is that 80% of decisions should be made the first time they come up. Only 15% of decisions should be made later, and 5% of decisions shouldn’t be made at all.
Four Types of Decisions