When Mentors Find You: Learning Meeting Management
I admit it. I was green coming out of my master’s program. I was fortunate that one of my professors, who was also the president of a major healthcare organization, took an interest or pity on me, by giving me a one-year project.
This job was one of the best things to happen to me, setting me on the course of healthcare marketing. More importantly, it paired me with a mentor that found me, teaching me invaluable lessons such as meeting management the department and executive levels.
Being Found
In my first post-MHA degree job, I was paired with a senior vice president (SVP), who realized that I didn’t know I needed a mentor. I was overwhelmed with the power of her position. I reported directly to her. This SVP’s admin was my daily manager. Thank goodness, this admin liked me. I think she realized I was green, as she watched out for me by explaining how things worked and who the key stakeholders were. While I was given “light” work at first, gradually I was given other projects. However, the real value of the one-year project was learning the strategy and tactics of meetings.
Learning Strategy and Tactics of Managing Meetings
My SVP would take me to meetings to observe and learn how she managed meetings and her direct reports in that setting. Once before a weekly direct report meeting, my SVP said, “I want you to watch how I manage the meeting today. I’m going to ask for status updates from my direct reports. However, I’m not pleased with performance with one of them. She’s a little over confident, so I’m going to ask a series of questions to get the group involved with discussion about the performance.”
Orchestrating Desired Behaviors
My SVP told me of her strategy before the meeting. I watched my SVP’s tactics unfold during the meeting. The person the SVP was targeting realized the subtlety and tactics of the SVP and was able to not fall into a trap of defensiveness. Rather, this person recognized what was happening and facilitated the dialogue by asking the group for thoughts. The SVP was pleased with the outcome. After the meeting, my SVP asked me to stay behind. “What did you learn today?” she asked.
Learning the SVPs Lessons
I couldn’t wait to tell her, as I chirped back how impressed I was to see her bring up a tough topic, get the person to be accountable, and to do all this without making the person defensive. “Good. That’s what I hoped you would say. The person I was targeting has been known to not be ‘open’ to this type of discussion. I wanted this person to learn from others, learn how her peers are managing their similar situations.”
My SVP’s lesson never left me. It made me realize to so many things about meetings:
- Meetings 101: when starting out, learn the basics of meetings like getting their early, staking out your seat, learning where to sit for the best advantage, having the right posture, using body language or eye contact at the right time, having confidence, knowing when to speak and not speak, or how to use a pause or inflections in your voice for emphasis or effect.
- Tough discussions: managers must have tough discussions with direct reports, but in a constructive way . At times, in front of peers for group discussion for improvements or ideas to turnaround performance.
- Let them save face: managers should allow direct reports to save face in front of peers.
- Strategy and tactics: a meeting is never just a meeting. At times, there are strategy and tactics involved by managers. Preparation is the key. Learning how to press buttons in others takes practice and mastery. Learning how to respond as direct report takes equal practice and mastery.
- Managing yourself: everyone must learn grace with candor, in how they manage interactions with others during meetings. Being poised by never acting defensive or aggressive provides an environment for other to be open in the meeting.
- Be curious, never take it at face value: direct reports should wonder what their manager is trying to accomplish during a meeting. Some managers use a multi-lateral approach in meetings. Never assume it’s just an informational or status update meeting. Always use the time to demonstrate you know how manage yourself. And ask yourself, what did I learn about my boss during the meeting?
I was fortunate to have a SVP take in interest in me by becoming my mentor. At the time, I didn’t know that I need one. Fortunately, she decided that I needed did indeed need one and appointed herself as my mentor. The year spent with her is one that set me on the right course for my career. Since then, I always take time to help others because I learned that while people don’t know they need a mentor or coach, they often do. I try to help people when I can. I found that I enjoy helping others. What can you do? Find a mentor. If you’re lucky, perhaps one will find you at the right place in your career at the right time.
