Creating Value For Yourself

If it’s one thing that seems to never cease in any organization, it’s meetings. From recaps of events to new projects, meetings are a necessity to make things happen. Although I’m sure you’re out there, I’ve yet to meet a person who LOVES meetings. But what’s worse than boring meetings, is sitting silently in them counting down the minutes until it’s over. Since you have WEEKLY meetings, add value to those meetings. Make those times meaningful whether you’re conducting or merely sitting in on those meetings.

Here’s 3 suggestions on how I think you can add value to meetings [and ultimately your relationships]:

1.) Come prepared.

You know it happens EVERY WEEK. Do some research. Come with something tangible the group can learn from. A business article. A book. Another example of how another organization was successful in that same area you’re trying to develop wins in. ANYTHING!

2.) Don’t act like you belong, but actually belong.

People don’t want to work with actors unless they’re working on a movie. Be in the room as YOU. Belong. Let your voice be heard. Be present. Remind them why you’re in the room. It’s not to fill seats. I heard a woman speak at a male-dominated conference a few months back and all I could say when she was done was, “She didn’t act like she belonged… she simply owned the stage, and belonged.”

3.) Follow up.

If you only pick 1 of the 3 to actually do, pick #3 because I guarantee you will add value to your organization, meetings, and relationships by following up because people are terrible at doing so! Be the one person in the meeting that simply says, “So what are action items each of us can walk away with?” If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the great Justin Lathrop, it’s that following up is the difference between being a person someone met “that one time” and being a person of significance in someone’s life and ministry. He taught me all of the above and has had tremendous relational success because of it. You’ll achieve very little with a small amount of relational equity.

People say, “Let’s get coffee” all the time. But make sure you’re a person that actually follows up on that. If you say you’ll email, text, call, or DM, make sure you do that. Don’t be flippantly nice to people. Be sincere one-on-one and in groups or meetings. Do this, and I promise you, you’re value to people and to your organization will skyrocket.