Why you shouldn't go to the same meetings as your direct reports

Start the week by getting out of your team's way.

If you’re invited to the same meeting as someone who reports to you, ask yourself:

Why am I going?

Unless you and your team member are contributing in a separate technical domains, consider not going.

👉  Not going says “I trust you, I’ve got your back”

👉  Not going says “You’re the expert”

👉  Not going says “You’re responsible”

👉  Not going says “Let’s not waste our team’s time budget unnecessarily”

Make it a coaching opportunity - not an abdication

Tell them you’re not going in plenty of time so they can prepare

Tell them yourself, don’t just decline the invite

Offering support before and after creates a coaching opportunity. A plan-do-learn cycle. We want more of these!

If you try this (or more of this), let me know how you get on.

You'll find more in my LinkedIn carousel on this topic.