Three Keys To Shorter Meetings For Your Business

Last week I wrote about working less and testing the 80/20 hypothesis for your San Francisco Bay Area business work cycle. I'd love to know if you had a chance to consider putting this into practice, send us an email using the email icon at the top right-hand corner of our site when you can, if so. Well, on that note, let's spread some of that 80/20 wealth around and take a look at your San Francisco Bay Area business as a whole. Now, this might not exactly apply to you if you're a pure "solopreneur" -- but I've also found that "pure" lone rangers are few and far between. There are almost always people with whom we have to meet, and potential time vampires all around us, even as sole proprietors. And let me get this important point right out front: yes, meetings are absolutely necessary at times -- and a business that NEVER has them probably won't get on the same page with the frequency or efficiency that succeeding in 2017 (and beyond) now requires. It's a fast-moving marketplace, folks. But exactly because it's so fast-moving out there, we simply must not allow the "corporate culture" of meetings and memos to rule over the advantage we carry as a smaller, more nimble organization or business. And even within the corporate culture, there is growing literature and research about cutting down the wasteful environment of relentless meetings. So here are a few guidelines I've put into place ... let's free ourselves from those additional, mindless obligations. Three Keys To Shorter Meetings For Your San Francisco Bay Area Business "Prepare while others are daydreaming." -William Arthur Ward In the spirit of what I'm writing about, this will be a quickie... Three essential guidelines for taking control of meetings -- and your time. 1) Determine whether you really are necessary to the meeting. Look at the agenda, or find out what the meeting is intended to accomplish. Ask yourself, "Do I actually get anything out of the meeting?," and "Do I actually contribute anything to the meeting?" If your answers are "no," then let meeting organizers know, and find a way to avoid attending. Just do it. 2) Try to attend only part of the meeting. If the first part of a meeting is relevant to you, but the other half isn't, find a way to skip the second half. Just do it, and let the chips fall. 3) Arrive on time--leave on time. Let meeting organizers know that you'll be happy to attend the meeting, but will only stay until the time stated. Then get there on time--and leave on schedule. These may seem harsh, but your time is valuable. Respect yourself enough to treat it that way. I'm grateful for our partnership and dedicated to your success. Feel very free to forward this article to a CITY business associate or client you know who could benefit from our assistance -- or simply send them our way? While these particular articles usually relate to business strategy, as you know, we specialize in tax preparation and planning for CITY families and business owners. And we always make room for referrals from trusted sources like you. Warmly, Patti ONeill and Gale Bergado (408) 241-4100 ONeill & Bergado