Mingle Rants

Absence it is said makes the heart grow fonder. But, when an employee absents himself or herself this is definitely not going to be the case. Absence of employees causes the loss of millions of dollars to the economy. Millions of work days are also lost as a result of employee absence.

Absence is genuine in two third of the cases while the others just do it for non-genuine reasons. While employee abstention cannot be prevented according to management training programs and management training courses, there should be an effective mechanism to deal with the absence. Therefore there is scope for organizations to improve their attendance. But, how to go about it, is another matter altogether.

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You can hold effective meetings and become a more successful leader if you avoid these seven mistakes. Here’s how.

Myth 1: Executives belong in meetings.

Although the demands of business cause executives to attend more meetings than other professionals, executives should be very selective on which meetings they attend. Top management is responsible for vision, strategy, plans, and communication. That means wise executives spend most of their time thinking, learning, planning, and communicating. Inefficient, ineffective meetings waste the time of the company’s most valuable employees.

Better: Ask probing questions when invited to make sure that your presence will add value. For example, “What are your goals for the meeting?” “How will I contribute to achieving those goals?” and “How can I prepare for the meeting?” After all, you want to contribute to an effective meeting if you decide to attend.

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