CHAPTER 11Be a Stork, Not a Pigeon: Bring Value, Not Diversion
As I approach my 30th year of corporate life, I estimate that I have spent more than 30,000 hours in meetings1—many of which, in hindsight, were worthless. But they don't have to be. Use them wisely and make them a venue to showcase your talents.
The bottom line (and oh, how we all love bottom lines) is don't be that person everyone looks at and wonders why the hell you're sitting at the table. That makes you the dodo bird. But even worse, don't be a pigeon—someone who flies in, craps on everything, then bails.
Instead, be the person who arrives without pomp and circumstance, is on time with the delivery, drops the baby off with some real value-add, and then expects nothing in return.
In other words, be the stork.
Mind Your P's and Q's
Whenever you go to any meeting, add value. Remember how I said that when you make a job inquiry, the recipient might have the attention span of a goldfish? I told you, “Nail it in a sentence!” Well, the same applies when you actually land a job, with slight adjustments. Be brief!
When you have something to say, make it relevant. Don't waste everyone's time with inane comments or questions. That's a surefire way to earn membership in Densa, the low-IQ society—like when someone asks a question masquerading as an opportunity for them to sound smart and the speaker retorts, “So what's your question?” Everyone in the audience thinks, “Dumbass.” Another is when the question exposes someone ...