There’s a Channel Tunnel-sized yawn opening up behind your right hand. Your legs have gone numb. You’re having strange thoughts about the possibility of setting off the fire alarm.

It can mean only one thing. You’re caught in the middle of another meeting. Perhaps the fifth this week. And it shows no sign of ever ending.

This is the downside of moving into management. The rule of thumb is the further you progress in your career, the more meetings you must attend.

Thankfully, not everyone who finds that coveted executive role on [site_name] is consigned to such boardroom hell.

That’s because they know failsafe ways to avoid too many meetings.

Be Brave and Say No

It’s not always easy to decline a meeting, especially if the financial director is in a month-end panic or HR are having a staff shortage – everyone needs to see you right now!

The truth is even the top professionals are not required to go to every meeting.

Can you help your FD recalibrate their inner-calculator or maybe get HR to post some of those positions on [site_name] to target those hard to reach candidates?

If you can’t add value, graciously decline. Focus instead on matters more pressing to you and ultimately more productive for the company.

 

Establish No Go Zones

Is a Monday morning your favourite time to plan ahead and get your diary super-ship-shape? Or do you like to spend Friday afternoons walking the floor, catching up with managers and colleagues?

Then block out these times for yourself. No meetings allowed. No knocks on your door. And ignore incoming emails bleeping for your attention.

A lengthy email exchange is just another meeting in disguise and can take up more of your time than a face-to-face encounter.

 

Lead By Example

In companies big and small you can find managers who make themselves look busy and important. This used to involve walking about the factory with a clipboard; nowadays it’s all about holding a tablet or mobile…and, of course, calling meetings.

You know meetings are important to brainstorm, monitor progress and keep everyone in the loop. You also know they can be the biggest time waster for a business – have you ever noticed how most get-togethers are scheduled for an hour by default, even if the agenda is a two-minute decision maker?

Set the standard by minimalising your own meetings and calling time on them when the job’s done, not when the clock strikes.

 

Of course, one meeting you can’t afford to miss is with [site_name]– it’s here you’ll find all the best local candidates for your vacancies.