Do You Have the Guts to 'Decline' That Meeting?
Because after all, you don’t need to go to every meeting you’re invited to.
Look, I’ve been there.
I know how it goes. You start your week with a handful of standing meetings… and by Wednesday, you’re booked from 9 to 5, bouncing from one (Zoom) room to another. Then somehow, your real work still has to get done.
It was this situation, over and again each week, that made me adopt a system as I thought about which meetings to attend as a manager.
I realized, then, that you don’t need to go to every meeting you’re invited to.
You really don’t and I know making this decision can be more difficult when you’re a less-tenured manager. It is easier, early in your leadership career, to feel like you must accept every invite.
But regardless of tenure…
When you’re in a leadership role, your time is one of your most valuable tools and how you spend it matters.
So let me share how to assess whether a meeting actually deserves your attention.
Three things to consider before hitting “Accept”:
1. Is this a “need to know now” meeting?
If the meeting is covering critical, time-sensitive updates that directly affect your team, your projects, or your decision-making, then yes, show up. You want to be in the room (or on the screen) to ask the right questions, understand the context, and make the moves you need to make as a manager. However, if the info isn’t urgent or game-changing? You may not need to be there live.
2. Are you presenting or expected to actively contribute?
If you’re sharing updates, making a case, or representing your team, your presence matters. People need to see and hear you. That applies whether it’s virtual or in-person. You don’t want to pass those moments off or send someone in your place if your leadership or voice is needed in the room.
3. Can this be delegated or reviewed later?
Not every meeting needs your real-time attendance. If there’s a recording or clear summary sent afterward, and the content isn’t mission-critical, you might be able to skip it. Even better: if you have a capable team member who’s interested in the topic and it’s appropriate, this could be a great development opportunity for them to attend on your behalf and share back key takeaways. This is one of my favorite ‘delegate for team growth’ tactics.
Your time as a manager is precious, and while it might feel like being in the know means being in every meeting, that’s just not sustainable (or always smart).
The more intentional you are with your calendar, the more energy and focus you’ll have for the work that actually moves you and your team forward.
Let me know if this is helpful to you and what strategies are you currently using to manage meetings?
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Did you miss these issues?
When Going Back to Being an Individual Contributor Starts to Feel Really Tempting
I coached a manager recently who said,
How I Run Team Meetings That Actually Get Results
I want to give some quick solutions here, especially if you’re a manager trying to make the most of your time with your team. This is what I learned after more than 10 years of leading teams in corporate spaces. This framework allowed me to increase team performance and engagement exponentially.
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