Effective Meetings for New Managers

Your inbox is on fire, deadlines pile up, and then… a meeting invite. From someone senior. With no agenda.

If you’re trying to figure out how to run a meeting as a new manager, this scenario is all too familiar: 10 minutes of weather chat, a long intro, then a colleague who mistakes a “short update” for their personal TED Talk. Fifty-five minutes later, you feel like your soul has left your body.

Now, courageous leaders have two options:
Option A: Pretend to lose Wi-Fi—“I’m driving into a tunnel”—and vanish from the call. Bold, yes. Sustainable, no.
Option B: Show real leadership. Before the meeting: “What’s the exact goal of this meeting, so I can prepare and respect everyone’s time?” During the meeting, when talk drifts: “Quick observation—I think we’re off topic. Shall we return to the goal?”

The new managers I coach often start by saying, “I could never speak up like that.” But after practicing, they try it once and realize the room doesn’t bite back. Quite the opposite—people silently thank them for saving time.

Too many meetings drain energy. And have you ever heard of a company that had too few meetings? Me neither.

👉 If you want more tips on how to run a meeting as a new manager, check out my guide on running effective meetings: https://davidbuirs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/How-To-Run-Effective-Meetings.pdf, or schedule a free introduction call here: https://calendly.com/davidbuirs/30-minute-call.