Meetings are one of the few *controllable* events in your career (especially in a LargeCo context). Having a framework to think about what to do for each type, can help you get a disproportionate advantage in your career. A framework and a thread to go with it š§µ
First, identify what kind of meeting you're looking at. I classify meetings into four types:
1. Career defining where you want to reach a decision (e.g. should we build A or B): for this type, overprepare, and scenario model. What different directions can this go?
What are the edge cases? Who might derail this meeting? Think carefully and solve for this ahead of the meeting. Doing so (and addressing in the pre read) will help you get that decision in limited time
2. Career defining where you give updates (e.g. Leadership update saying you crushed goals): Be a show pony - make a shiny, happy document and present with as much fan fare as possible. Key in this meeting is to be remembered
3. Career limiting meetings where you want decisions to be taken (e.g. bad news meetings with decision on next steps): Pre align. No one likes the combination of bad news + surprise. Lay the groundwork, so that the meeting is an FYI and not an OMG moment (in a bad way)
4. Career limiting meetings with updates (e.g. we didn't meet goals): Send an email. There's no point of this meeting
This becomes especially important during WFH, when there are more meetings than one can handle. I hate meetings as much as the next person, but the reality is that in (most) LargeCo's there isn't a better way of bringing people together. Hope you found this helpful!