"Let's have a meeting"

“Let’s have a meeting.” You’ve said it, now you feel better. Go on, admit it, you feel relieved. You can relax knowing you’ve taken the bull by the horns and done something. Pat yourself on the back, a date is going in the diary – a tangible action. Or is it? Do meetings in reality just slow everything down, courting deliberation and procrastination that simply delays getting the job under discussion done.

Meetings have become an unavoidable part of our business culture. We insist on them to make any decision, to start any project, to keep in touch with our team, even just to get through the day. If you don’t have a diary full of meetings you feel like somehow that you’re failing in your job. Even though too many meetings ironically prevent many of us doing our job and getting home on time.

It’s estimated that in the UK 5 million meetings happen everyday. And 80% of that time is wasted. Making sure meetings are well-designed and really needed is one way we can all make better use of our working day. And I'd like to suggest that’s all about injecting some PACE (Preparation, Action, Creative Control and Engagement) into our meeting schedules.

Purpose 
Do you actually need that meeting you have just suggested? If a meeting is habitual or has no clear objectives it can be a waste of time. There is a danger that pointless meetings become talking shops that are self gratifying rather than productive. 
If the only purpose is just to share information, could this be done more efficiently via electronic channels?

Action
A well-designed meeting is crafted to drive action. Measurable outcomes and actions are an essential output of a well-designed meeting. The close of the meeting should not be the end, it should be the start of the next phase of progress. 
The end of the meeting isn't the end of the discussion; the meeting should inspire people to think, discuss further and most importantly act.

Creative Control

A good chairperson is key; to keep order, to keep the meeting moving, keep an eye on the timings and to make sure the points are covered. But just as important is the chair's ability to energise the attendees, keep them engaged and involved. And this means listening and responding, provoking discussion and ideas. A robotic chair, whose only aim is to get through the agenda can fail to achieve anything but good timing and stifle creativity. 


Engagement 
Thorough preparation, commitment and enthusiastic engagement are key to a successful meeting. When you spot someone around the table stifling a yawn, fighting to stop their heavy eyelids from closing or doodling aimlessly across the top of the agenda papers you know the meeting is destined to be a waste. So... 



• Everyone involved should have the information they need to contribute to the meeting in advance of the event. So a good, well thought out agenda (that they have opportunity to add to), an understanding of the expected outcomes and any background. 

 
• All attendees need to understand why they have been invited, what is expected from them and feel motivated to contribute. If a person hasn't got a direct role or anything specific to contribute, should they really be there? 

 

So, before you scurry off to your next pointless meeting, ask yourself does it need a bit of PACE?

My weekend on a film shoot. Inspiring stuff.

Whether it's the recession, reaching-30 crises or just the normal journey so many of us take through life, lots of people around me seem to be either resigned to being depressed by work or contemplating massive career changes at the moment. Job dissatisfaction has slipped into being an acceptable but glum reality. And so the career weary amongst us find ourselves spending most of our days plotting our escape from the daily grind.

But does it have to be doom and gloom? Does the very nature of careers being 'work' mean they are destined to be disillusioning? Do we all have the power to control our own careers?

Everyone has there own views on this but after this weekend I have restored faith in the existence of career satisfaction. It just sometimes means making brave choices and going the extra mile to make it happen. I spent this weekend with a group of people who all seemed to love their work. To the extent that they had given up their weekend to travel to Wales and provide their skills for free, helping a budding film director to make her first short drama. My husband was the lighting cameraman on the shoot and I decided to go along as his camera assistant (yes, carrying boxes, passing him things and generally being an extra pair of hands).

It was hard work - Saturday was a 7:30 start and the final shots were filmed after 20:30 and then back to work at 9:30 on Sunday. But it was also incredibly inspiring to see the young director making her vision a reality and the rest of the crew and actors enjoying being part of the production. It made me wonder how many of us would actually volunteer to give up our free time and work flat out over a weekend? And keep smiling and laughing throughout.

By the end of the weekend, I had picked up a few new skills (I was promoted to script supervisor as well as general dogs body), a greater appreciation for what my husband does and his fantastic talent, and a renewed vigour to continue pursuing my own career dreams. Yes, changing careers, chasing my dream to write and starting out on my own is a bumpy rollercoaster – it’s exciting, incredibly rewarding but also scary and unpredictable. But I’m just going to embrace it.

My new motto... "Feel the fear… and write on."



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What we can all learn from Mr Clegg

Last week’s televised political debate has caused quite a stir. But was Nick Clegg’s victory and the subsequent surge in support for the Liberal Democrats down to a carefully crafted personal brand as much as political substance? Maybe we should all follow his lead, making note of a few tricks from the Liberal leader to accelerate our own professional reputation and career success in a similar way.

Clegg’s demeanour, style and how he addressed questions from the audience and his opponents portrayed him as genuine and open – adorning him with the cherished personal qualities of charisma, trustworthiness and honesty. Whilst Gordon Brown and David Cameron’s performances highlighted less favourable characteristics and attributes. For example, Cameron reinforced his image of being posh and slick. Clegg and Cameron's privileged backgrounds share many similarities - wealthy families, a private school education followed by Oxbridge. Yet Clegg doesn’t carry the damaging posh tag that Cameron constantly has to fight.

Since the Leaders' Debate, the content of Clegg’s answers has been diligently dissected by the media and his political rivals. His responses around immigration have been portrayed as hollow and his opposition to the corrupt Westminster style of parliament accused of being hypocritical. Yet, support for Clegg and his party still rises. Speculation around the rising influence of the Liberal Democrats in Britain's political future, the probability of waking up to a hung parliament on 7th May and excitement at the prospect of having a Chancellor Cable dominate the polls and political commentary. Clegg's brand is proving resilient and victorious in the face of spin and criticism. He has reinvented himself as a rebel, someone new and refreshing, an outsider. He has crafted an personal image that in these dissatisfied times appeals to the masses. And this is proving more influential than the accuracy of his claims.

Branding is no longer the exclusive domain of consumer goods and politicians; our personal brand is something we all need to be alert to and aware of. Should we all be managing our own personal brands more carefully? From how we engage with colleagues to how we dress, in a competitive and uncertain job market is better personal brand management the secret to interview success, promotion and survival?

Image source: www.guardian.co.uk

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Anyone for lunch? Or are lunch breaks just for wimps?

Chances are you're reading this whilst hastily tucking into a sandwich at your desk. Lazy lunches where maybe a glass of wine is consumed and playful banter enjoyed are something of an urban myth. Has anyone enjoyed a guilt-free lunch out with friends recently? One where you are not anxiously looking at your watch every few minutes and wondering what your boss will make of your rebellious lunch time behaviour? Although many of us like to believe Sex and the City brunches are real rather than a figment of Candace Bushnell’s imagination, beneath the optimism we know too well that only the very brave, privileged minority have the time, freedom and confidence to indulge regularly in such frivolity. Should  Miranda, a high powered lawyer by trade, really be spending an hour or so out of the office debating the morality of her friends promiscuity or resolving their relationship woes?

In the real world, more and more of us are reluctant to leave our desks and actually take the rest break we are by law and company policy entitled to. Research shows that only 1 in 6 workers take regular lunch breaks. And the recession is making things worse; the pleasure of lunch breaks is tainted by our fears of being seen as a wimpy worker. Continuing job uncertainty is making us more anxious than ever to please our bosses, feeding a damaging culture of presenteeism in the workplace and compelling us to make our breaks even shorter. But despite good intentions, denying ourselves a proper lunch break, a walk in the park or a gossip over a coffee on a regular basis is neither in our personal interest or that of the business’ we are working for.

I present the following case for taking a well-earned lunch break:

Enhanced productivity. Having a break can actually boost your productivity by re-vitalizing tired thoughts, recharging your energy levels and inviting fresh insight that can make a scary to-do list seem suddenly more achievable.

Coping with stress. Taking a walk or having a grumble with friends over a coffee can release tension and help you manage a stressful day more effectively.

Building better working relationships. Lunch breaks can provide an opportunity to get to know your colleagues. Better social relationships lead to more effective working relationships, which will not only make your working life easier but also could add enjoyment to your job.

Improving your well-being. Going out to lunch doesn't only boost morale, it can also protect your health. Eating at your desk means our keyboards are home to a disgusting assortment of bacteria. The average work station is 400 times dirtier than a toilet – would you ever eat a sandwich off your toilet seat? In addition, uninterrupted computer screen use is jeopardizing our eyesight and hunching over a desk for hours on end is damaging our posture.

Are you convinced? Go on, pop out for lunch, you deserve it.