Here’s tip 7 in my women and careers mini series. Choose your meetings wisely and well. If you’re finding these tips helpful please do sign up for my newsletter. You won’t get bombarded but you do get special offers from time to time.
Meetings- Not Simply About Work
Don’t be tempted to miss too many meetings, believing that they are of no interest to you. Think longer term. It may be that a particular meeting holds nothing relevant at the time, but in the long term not making yourself visible can harm your career.
Women and Careers – Be Seen
It sounds perverse, but it’s not good enough to be good at what you do. Once you grasp this fact it makes sense of all those people in senior positions who seem, well, frankly, incompetent.
You need to be seen to be good at what you do. And that means putting yourself about. As I am frequently telling my coaching clients:
It’s no good being good if no one knows that you are good.’
And that means making yourself visible and that means attending appropriate events. This has become even more important following the popularity of home working. There really is no substitute for the personal touch (well, maybe don’t touch anyone you’ll get into trouble…) and seeing people face to face.
Yes, it is true, a lot of meetings in the workplace are a waste of time. However, use your judgement. It may be a useless meeting in terms of the subject matter. That said, it may qualify as an important meeting in terms of who is there. But miss too many and you’ll fall off the radar for when interesting things come up.
(Do check this out Why Hard Working Women Do Not Get Promoted)
Women and Careers – Show Off?
How about using those less than gripping meetings to introduce something that you have done or achieved, something that allows you to show off a particular skill? Maybe you can chair the meeting (don’t offer to do the minutes unless it’s your turn). And if all your meetings seem to be of the dull and unproductive variety, find out which ones the movers and shakers go to and see if you can present something to that meeting. Do try to take time to read the minutes of the previous meeting (I know, it’s usually tedious, but…) and prepare your contribution.
Review the contribution that meetings can make to your career advancement. It could be a key component. The world needs more wonderful women in positions of power and influence!
Photos from Unsplash, paid for content.
RenewYou, My Tried and Tested Career Booster!
RenewYou has helped thousands of women make positive and lasting change in their lives. I deliver it one-to-one as part of a bespoke coaching package for women looking to move into leadership, to progress their career, or who wish to be the absolute best version of themselves.
Posted on March 10th, 2023 by Jane
