Summary: Do you like meetings? I didn’t think so. Most folks don’t. For most of us, meetings usually get in the way of stuff we need to get done. But we need meetings—to review results, set a new direction, or just to touch base. Source: Digital Juice So to make meetings both bearable and efficient, I use five simple questions to stay on track: Why are we meeting? (Every meeting should have an agenda.) Who’s the customer? (Every meeting has at least one customer) What’s his/her priority? (The customer is right, right?) What’s my goal? (What do I need to accomplish, given what I’ve learned?) What’s the action plan? (How do I get ‘er done?) I find that if I keep these questions in mind during any meeting, it keeps me engaged. More importantly, it moves my mind from the current agenda to the next agenda. So if I’m the customer, I know that between this meeting and the next, some concrete steps will be taken to address my concerns. And if I’m the manager, I know what I need to do next. These simple questions do more than get me through my meetings. They give me and my team a set of goals. Douglas R. Tengdin, CFA Chief Investment Officer Phone: 603-224-1350 Leave a comment if you have any questions—I read them all! Follow me on Twitter @GlobalMarketUpd www.chartertrust.com • www.moneybasicsradio.com www.globalmarketupdate.net
