Best Corporate Meeting Etiquette

Yet another week, another calendar full of meetings. It can be easy to go through the motions of a daily stand-up or yet another debrief and forget that your contributions, level of engagement and facilitation or participation style in meetings can actually reveal a lot about who you are as a professional. Experts wish professionals took meetings more seriously and learned about the science behind highly engaging, collaborative meetings. 

There are three foundational areas that effective process leaders master: How to manage themselves so they don’t end up being the cause of a poorly-led meeting, how to manage the process so meetings flow and build logically towards achieving desired outcomes, and how to manage others to maximize participation. 

Beyond helping you improve these three foundational areas, deconstructing your meeting habits can actually uncover fascinating information about your professional priorities and leadership style and even gear you up for greater career success.

Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges. To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Receive a Free download of this book by Clicking this Link

Keep in mind, there are three types of meeting leaders: content-focused, process-focused, or a hybrid of both.

The content-focused meeting leader tends to be ‘tell-oriented,’ specifically there to advocate, train, educate. This type of leader holds all the cards in terms of what ideas are put forward. A process-focused meeting leader is there to leverage the wisdom and ideas of meeting participants. They are ‘ask-oriented.’ They are there to ensure the meeting is structured to maximize the engagement of all participants and to ensure all voices are heard and considered. A hybrid meeting leader is excellent at moving back and forth between these roles, ensuring a good balance between telling and asking when required. Understanding where you fall within the spectrum of asking and telling can help you round out your weaknesses and maximize your strengths. 

Your style may reveal much about you - Do you tend to hog the spotlight or are you focused on getting the best ideas out of the people around the table? Whatever your habits are, they might reveal traits that show up in your day-to-day work life way past the doors of a conference room.

A meeting leader mainly focused on content and tells most of the time tends to be a more ‘command and control’ type. They see themselves as the expert, as those who have the right ideas, and view the audience as not as important or relevant to tap into for alternative perspectives. A process-oriented meeting leader tends to facilitate and be collaborative, seeking out other opinions with the understanding that they may not have all the right answers.

Some meeting habits can actually have a negative impact on your career development. Here is a suggested list of meeting habits to avoid as much as possible if you want to get ahead:

·    Telling more than asking

·   Advocating policy, process, or organizational change without checking in with those affected and giving them some voice or allowing for venting

·   Having meetings where the purpose and outcomes are not clear

·   Dominating the meeting and swaying decision-making towards one’s own personal agenda

·    Being unclear about how much decision-making authority participants have

Ultimately, you can think of meeting dos and don’ts as an extension of the continuous practice of being an effective, impactful leader.

Leaders that are more facilitative tend to get the best buy-in and follow-through by their team members. This is easily explained by the fact that when my voice is heard, appreciated, and utilized in a final decision, I’m more likely to want to be part of fulfilling that decision.

On the other hand, when a meeting leader just tells and limits input from the meeting participants, most people disengage and feel less committed to the final outcomes.

Valuable Tips for Strategic Business Alliances

In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven business world, collaboration is no longer a dirty word. Forming alliances & collaborating with another business–especially if you’re the smaller fish–can be great. Leveraging another company’s audience and gaining access to their resources and knowledge might just be what you need to grow. But how do you know if the opportunity will be worth spending time & resources?

Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges. To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Receive a Free download of this book by Clicking this Link 

Just ask yourself these important & decisive questions to know for sure:

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS’S CORE CHALLENGE?

The best collaborations are those that help you to overcome your core challenge. But how can you do this if you aren’t clear about what that challenge is? Perhaps you are looking to break into a new market and a partnership can help you reduce barriers to entry or give you proprietary insight into that new market. Entering into a partnership without knowing what problem you’re trying to solve, or what result you’re hoping to achieve, is not going to be as successful as if you enter into a partnership with a clearly defined set of goals.

WHAT ARE YOUR BRAND’S VALUES?

Before you seek out a partnership, have a clear understanding of what your brand is about and what you’re looking for. Being clear about your values allows you to align yourself with a business that shares similar goals. Don’t assume that you know what the other company’s values are. Take the time to articulate your common vision and make sure that you’re on the same page.

DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO INVEST IN THIS COLLABORATION?

Getting involved with another business can feel a lot like having multiple hands in the same pot. It can result in high management costs, slow certain processes, and, in some cases, the loss of strategic power if the business you partner with wants to have decision-making power. A successful collaboration starts with having a good strategy.  If you have a bad strategy, you’ll find it easier to succumb to the pressures of day-do-day operational firefighting and distractions. Be clear on your goals and how much time you are willing to invest.

IS THERE A PERFECT PARTNER IN YOUR OWN INDUSTRY?

Sometimes the perfect alliance exists right next door. For example, say a French restaurant has a connecting swinging door next to a pub and every time the door opens, it would allow in the boisterous cheer of the next-door pub. The door was opening because the kitchen of the French restaurant would be supplying the pub with its burgers and the fish & chips.

Though the restaurant and the pub could be considered competitors (since both are in the food industry), they each offered different experiences and target audiences, making for a perfect and convenient collaborative opportunity.

It is very important to remember that before jumping into a contract for collaboration, see if you can test the waters by working on a small event or project together. A test project will allow you to evaluate each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and working styles before getting into a more serious commitment.

Here's to Successful Alliances!

Let your Voice be Heard

Did you know that business owners and leaders often wish their employees would speak up more? Here are a few of the things bosses want their employees to talk about when experienced or noticed:

            When You are not Being Challenged

If you are slogging through your days working on tasks you find mundane and uninspiring, it’s your job to speak up and say something. Bosses recognize that the majority of employees want to be growing and making their way up the corporate ladder, but remember: they cannot read your mind. They might not realize that you’re not being challenged or may think you have enough on your plate already, so be sure to set the record straight.

Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges. To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Receive a Free download of this book by Clicking this Link

        When You Notice Low Morale among Others

Most bosses can see or feel when there’s tension among the ranks, but not always. Depending on the company, bosses may be in or out for various things and not realize how the team is actually doing. Your boss will appreciate your read on the employee morale situation whether for good or bad. Companies depend on the health of the teams within them, so be willing to point out when you see an issue and fight for things that will bring the team closer together.

                When You Believe You have a Better Idea

Do not keep your innovative ideas to yourself! If you notice a way that policies, procedures, or processes could be better, speak up. Ideas, even “dumb” ones, spark other ideas that spark other ideas that lead to excellent ideas. So, in reality, there are no “dumb” ideas. Be willing to point out and share solutions on how you believe things could be done better – for the company and for the employees too.

Until next time!

Remote Work – The Pros and Cons

Remote work has been around for ages, but the pandemic made it far more accessible to people from a wide variety of backgrounds and industries.

While in-person office work will probably always be a staple, it’s worth noting that by 2025, most workers will work at least five days a month from home and that 84 percent of current remote workers prefer working from home.

 

For remote workers, it’s crucial to balance the highs and lows of remote work –of course like everything in life, it has its pros and cons.

Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges. To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Receive a Free download of this book by Clicking this Link

 

Advantages of remote work

When one is considering remote work, it’s helpful to look at the positives and prioritize what’s important to you personally and professionally:

 

 

·      Lack of a daily commute. Approximately 78 percent of people dislike commuting to the office, and by avoiding a lengthy journey, you can kickstart your day sooner and use your spare time for other parts of your routine.

·      No geographical restrictions. You can work from anywhere and, in many cases, any time you want to. The remote-work model also does away with the traditional 9 to 5 workday, allowing people to be digital nomads.

·      Less expense overall. You’re not only saving cash by not going into the office, but you’re also saving money by not purchasing business clothing, daily lunches and happy-hour drinks when socializing after work.

Disadvantages of remote work

 

While working remotely has a lot of upsides, there are a few disadvantages that you should consider when wondering if you should make the switch:

 

·      Technology dependency. When you explore remote-work opportunities, you must be aware that you’re relying entirely on computers, smartphones and other business communication channels to stay in contact and complete your work. Tech issues can sometimes hinder your ability to perform.

·         Lack of visibility for career development. While technology allows us to do almost everything these days, there’s no replacing interaction with co-workers and clients in person, either for work, everyday chats or post-work drinks.

·         You’ll need discipline to get work accomplished. Working remotely (especially from home) takes a lot of self-control, as other distractions may force you to become unmotivated and lose focus. Being mindful about creating a sustainable and easy-to-follow schedule can help.

Lifelong Learning - The Best Habit

Throughout history there have been many great men and all had one thing in common apart from their unique greatness - they all were lifelong learners -many of them devoted quality time to self-education. Albert Einstein, Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Feynman, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton committed a lot of time to personal learning either in addition to traditional education or as a substitute to formal schooling. 

The most successful people in history were dedicated to self-learning. They recognize the need to grow and deepen their understanding of themselves and interesting subjects. We would be wise to follow in their footsteps. 

Theodore Roosevelt was rumored to read a book a day. Learning for him was a path to professional success. He wrote his first book at 23. 

Lifelong learning is the “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated” pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. It’s about learning to know, learning to do, and learning to be. Cultivating the mind is essential for personal growth. 

Our whole life is an Education — we are ‘ever-learning,’ every moment of time, everywhere, under all circumstances something is being added to the stock of our previous attainments. Self-learning is a habit many of us can emulate to thrive in an ever-changing world of work. With all the disruptions in the modern economy, ongoing skill acquisition is critical to professional relevance. 

Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges. To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Receive a Free download of this book by Clicking this Link 

More than ever, learning is for life if you want to stay relevant in the world of work. If you are aiming to become a lifelong learner, some of these habits can be useful for you. 

Habit 1 – Successful learners prioritize self-learning  

Are your skills, knowledge, and experience more valuable today than they were a year ago? We can all become obsolete over time. The fast pace of change today also means we can become obsolete faster than ever before. 

Committing to self-learning can help you do your current job better and remain adaptable even when things change in the future. Scheduling continuous or lifelong learning can help you stay relevant. Make lifelong learning a priority in your life to consistently improve your skills, knowledge, and experience. 

Habit 2 – Effective learners are voracious readers  

The most successful people we know today don’t stop learning. They read a lot — they continually expand their knowledge despite what they already know or have achieved. Elon Musk grew up reading two books a day, according to his brother. Bill Gates reads 50 books per year. Mark Zuckerberg reads at least one book every two weeks. 

Warren Buffett spends five to six hours per day reading five newspapers and 500 pages of corporate reports. Buffett has invested 80% of his time in reading and thinking throughout his career. Nike founder Phil Knight so reveres his library that in it you have to take off your shoes and bow. 

Why do the world’s smartest and busiest people find time for self-learning while others make excuses about how busy they are? 

The answer is simple: Learning is the single best investment of our time. Or as Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” 

Habit 3 – Efficient learners maintain to-learn lists  

We experience many learning opportunities every day but we can’t commit to them when we are busy getting other equally important things done. We often have to let them pass at the moment because of other tasks. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get back to them later. 

To make the process of learning easier, create a to-learn list, and write down a list of concepts, thoughts, ideas, mental models, and topics you want to explore. 

Or better still save them to your favorite bookmarking app. You can use Pocket to save every new idea you come across online — it’s a rewarding experience. 

You can later explore them in your downtime or at the specific time you have planned for your learning and make the most of your downtime. Learning is the best when one is relaxed. We all have times when it just feels like the right time to learn something new. Use those times to learn things you bookmark.