How can you use meetings to provide career development opportunities?

2 Invite the right people

One of the key factors for a successful meeting is to invite the right people. You want to include people who can contribute to the meeting's purpose, who can benefit from the meeting's outcomes, and who can support your career development. For example, you can invite mentors, peers, or experts who can offer guidance, advice, or feedback. You can also invite potential sponsors, allies, or collaborators who can help you advance your career or expand your network. However, you don't want to invite too many people or people who are not relevant to the meeting, as this can reduce the meeting's effectiveness and engagement.

3 Prepare and participate

Another essential factor for a productive meeting is to prepare and participate. You want to make sure you and your team are ready for the meeting, have the necessary information and resources, and have clear roles and responsibilities. For example, you can prepare an agenda, send out pre-work, assign tasks, or set expectations. You also want to make sure you and your team actively participate in the meeting, share your opinions and insights, ask questions, and listen to others. For example, you can use meetings to showcase your skills, demonstrate your value, seek feedback, or learn from others.

4 Follow up and follow through

The last important factor for a meaningful meeting is to follow up and follow through. You want to make sure you and your team review the meeting's outcomes, take action on the next steps, and evaluate the results. For example, you can send out a summary, thank the participants, track the progress, or measure the impact. You also want to make sure you and your team follow through on your commitments, deliver on your promises, and communicate your achievements. For example, you can use meetings to update your goals, report your successes, acknowledge your challenges, or request support.

5 Seek and offer opportunities

Finally, you can use meetings to seek and offer career development opportunities for yourself and your team. You can use meetings to identify your strengths and weaknesses, your interests and passions, and your aspirations and ambitions. You can also use meetings to discover new opportunities for learning, growth, or advancement within your organization or industry. For example, you can use meetings to ask for mentoring, coaching, or training. You can also use meetings to offer mentoring, coaching, or training to others who can benefit from your expertise, experience, or perspective.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?