HBR 20-Minute Manager Boxed Set (10 Books) (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)

Preparing for Your Meeting

23

Assign roles

Consider giving specifi c participants an active role to

play in the meeting as one way to be sure that they’re

engaged, feel that they have a voice in the conversa-

tion—and that they attend! You are the leader: Your

job is to clarify the gathering’s purpose, objectives,

constraints, and scope of authority. You must take re-

sponsibility for follow-up. But there are other essen-

tial roles you can assign:

• Facilitator. Guides the group through the dis-

cussion, problem-solving, and decision-making

phases of the meeting. May be responsible for

pre- and post-meeting logistics. This is a good

role for someone who wants more leadership

experience but isn’t ready yet to be the leader.

It’s a prominent position, ...