Management comes with responsibility. It also seems to come with a perpetually refilling inbox. Time becomes something elastic, a finite resource that grows increasingly finite when you need it the most. That’s a reality nearly all managers face, and it’s one of the most cited reasons when managers are asked why they “hate” meetings. They take up our valuable time and so often seem to accomplish very little. Because of this, it can be tempting to forgo them as much as possible. To assign yourself “work” in order to avoid those time sucking meetings from hell.
But there are some meetings no successful person should ignore. In fact, these meetings are so important I expect you to finish reading this and immediately put them on your schedule. That’s how vital these meetings will be to your success.
Meet with a prospect. If a week goes by that you are not conducting meetings to expand your business than you are doing business wrong. Yes, you cannot afford to neglect your current customers. But those current customers, for the most part, will not be responsible for any business growth you attain. In fact, depending on current customers is a great way to watch your business shrink. But why a single prospect? Because, simply put, you need to consider each prospect as a single individual and approach them in a specific, cultivated way. One size fits all might work for fast food, but it’s not good relationship building.
Meet with a mentor. Look, you might be awesome, but you are not perfect. Worse, you have flaws no one but an angry ex-wife will admit to you. That’s why you need a truth teller in your life. A designated, experienced mentor on whose shoulders you can unashamedly stand. Engage with your own personal Yoda as much as possible. Gleen all the information you can and discuss with them your current issues. Those conversations will do more to reveal your shortcomings and help you improve than anything you can conceive or plan. After all, your blind spots are blinds spots by definition.
Meet with yourself. This is the one far too many folks ignore. Or they get it wrong. This is not about a self-helpy voodoo time of meditation or “enlightenment” every week. Nor is it about taking up jogging or cycling or some other athletic endeavor. Yes, you need to keep fit, but listening to your iPod while you pound the pavement or beat a Stairmaster into submission is not what we’re talking about here. You need to find a place where you can THINK and REFLECT. Just you, a recorder or notepad, and whatever inspires you. Nature, coffee…whatever. Schedule this time every week, keep that commitment and expect more success this year.
If you read this list and saw some opportunity to improve, congratulations. If you read this article and thought it too simplistic, you are only fooling yourself. Choosing not to schedule these meetings is nothing more than reaffirming your commitment to never improving, never accomplishing and never achieving the heights of success you could. Never forget, you get what you earn, not what you want.