I read this yesterday and smiled.
On a regular day, I receive a couple of requests for ‘meetings’. These are meetings for business, casual, “I want to ask you something”, etc etc purposes. Also, there are the usual ‘phone call’ chat meeting requests.
I reject most meeting requests.
My problem about most meetings are the following issues:
There is never a real ‘agenda’ to discuss in a meeting. It’s all misty, cloudy, airy, fairy…
My HDFC bankers always want to come and ‘meet’ me.
“Why”, I ask?
They say, “Because they haven’t met in a while; there is a new person on the team that they want to introduce me to…” etc etc.
That’s a truck load of bunk.
I think most of these bankers ‘have to meet’ people as part of their daily agenda and keep looking for bakras to catch.
I know my bank account. I know how to use an ATM. I know how to sell and buy stocks and securities. Then why should I meet anyone?!
The agenda turns out to be different than what was stated.
I agreed to do a meeting with Opera – the browser Company because a good friend who is associated with them.
The idea I had in mind was to understand what Opera is trying to achieve in a ‘non java’ phone environment (Android and iPhone) and how they would get users to download and use their browser despite Android and iPhones coming pre-fitted with their own browsers.
However, the meeting turned out to be some sales guys from the Opera Bangalore office trying to sell me ‘downloads’ of apps via Opera deck placements and also how ‘creative’ ad units were being used by other Companies operating in the app space.
A meeting initially intended to be a ‘meeting of minds and ideas’ turned out to be a dumb sales pitch!
People don’t do homework when they come for meetings.
I meet people who don’t know who does what in a Company.
There is a laziness in typing out people’s names on google and reading about them before going to meet them!
I have met people who have pitched me technology, engineering and software services, when in fact I am clueless about these issues!
I am an accountant!
This is important when you flip this issue and examine how you go for meetings.
Do you really know who you are meeting? Know means know.
Trust me, once in a while, when someone mentions a snippet of a blog I wrote or some information, that means that the person has indeed looked me up and it charms me!
Decision makers should meet decision makers. Proposal pushers should meet proposal pushers. Janitors should meet janitors.
More often than I can remember, I have met people who were not decision makers but a breed of proposal pushers of the Company.
I really wonder – why did they meet me in the first place and why did they waste my time?
Now, when my colleagues or I read ‘Manager – Digital Alliances’, I assume that the person is in charge of Digital Alliances.
If, in fact, he is the valet of the office, then he should meet me in the parking lot – not in the corporate boardroom!
‘Match making’ people who do meetings, is a very important courtesy that should be extended by the person ‘accepting’ the meeting rather than the one proposing it; because only the acceptor really knows what position she enjoys and if she will be able to do justice to the meeting time of the other person!
The foreigner brigade who doesn’t speak English is the worst.
Oh, my sweet lord. I just wish people who bring their ‘foreign colleagues’ along would think twice before setting up such meetings.
Just because someone is the CEO does not mean I have to meet him!
Some of these people don’t understand an iota of English. They have flown in the night before and are half asleep, starved, bored, anxious and in desperate need of another hot shower instead of being fed data about silly Indian business trends!
I guess you’ve got my point.
Don’t meet people unless you really have to. Preserve your breath. Go take a nap. Meditate. Listen to music. Have a soda pop. I think, that if someone wants to meet you with a productive discussion, then they will reach out to you in the right manner.
So, promise me that you will meet people only when you really need to!
Do anything but waste time in silly meetings….
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