Personal Success: Don’t Be a Fly On the Wall in Meetings

If a tree falls in the middle of the forest and nobody is there to hear it, did it make a noise? Maybe, maybe not. But, who cares? Most likely, nobody cared since nobody noticed that it happened. Well, the same thing goes for you when you sit in a meeting. If you go to a meeting and you don’t make a noise, were you actually at the meeting? Maybe. Maybe NOT. But nobody noticed so nobody cared.

That’s right, you probably weren’t at the meeting. You didn’t say anything. Nobody heard you. So how would anyone know you were at the meeting? True, you may have talked to someone before the meeting started. Or, you may have worn that really loud red shirt of yours that everyone saw. But, if you didn’t say anything, then you mine as well have skipped that meeting because just like the tree, nobody noticed or cared.

Meetings are held for a purpose. Getting a group of people together is difficult. If people come, then there is always a good reason, otherwise the meeting could have been done via email or through individual conversations. Some meetings are even hard to get an invitation to. If you are invited, then it’s your chance to make an impact and improve your chances of achieving personal success.

In a meeting, don’t sit in the audience when you should be on stage. If you get invited, say at least one thing or nobody will know you were there.

Meetings can be boring. Meetings can seem useless. That’s probably your excuse for not saying anything. Then you didn’t go to a meeting, you went to a show – you watched, but didn’t participate because you didn’t think it was necessary. You were in the audience when you were supposed to be on stage with the rest of group. Well, why did you even go? You could have gotten a summary from someone else. If you are there, make sure people know. If nobody knows, then you won’t get any credit. Without credit, you won’t get the promotion or raise you deserve.

A meeting is your opportunity to impress a group of people in the company. Many times, there are people from other teams that you don’t talk to a lot and even senior people that you definitely never get a chance to work with. A meeting is your chance to brag about an accomplishment or to show how much you know. This is your chance to impress someone so much that you will get asked to be part of a new project, recognized for your hard work, or promoted for your great leadership.

You have to be present in everything that you do. The work day is long and is filled with lots of meetings. Instead of looking at them as boring times to sleep, think of them as great places to achieve personal success by opening new opportunities and promoting yourself.