I've just joined a company and our boss loves really long meetings to rehash everything. I've figured out that these plus follow-up reports, take up two days a week, leaving me exhausted, with little time to work. Any idea how to shorten these and still make a good impression? Drained
It is always difficult when you are new to a business but have issues of concern. It is very important that you make the right impression when you have just started with the company. Here are a number of areas that I believe you need to consider.
Firstly, try to understand potential reasons for the repetitive discussions. In business, sometimes the right decision is only reached after exploring different possibilities and ruling out various options. Also, your boss might want to gain other people's views, which could impact the length of the meeting.
Secondly, ask yourself if these meetings and the follow-up reports are a core part of your job and whether this was outlined in the interview process. I would suggest you review your time management and see if there are more efficient ways to produce the reports. If you feel better time management can help, try a time audit. Keep track of what you spend time on and review it. This identifies time-wasting tasks and areas where you can be more efficient.
An alternative is to get feedback on your work from your manager, who in turn is likely to seek your own. This allows you to outline your concerns and see if your manager has any recommendations.
Finally, it's important to be happy in your role. In any position, we must be accommodating of the requirements. This balanced approach, combined with open communication delivered in the right way and the right forum, will hopefully resolve your concerns.
Mark Enticott is the managing director of Ambition Hong Kong, a leading global boutique recruitment firm with offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and London. Ambition specialises in the banking and financial services, finance and accounting, technology, and sales and marketing sectors.
