Ganesh SrinivasanGanesh PMO (PMP, PMI-SP, ITIL-F)| MNC BankChennai, India
Dear Members,
I have been given 30 mins slot to have one to one with my Big boss, who is visiting our ODC.
I need your suggestions / ideas for using this 30 mins productively and also to make a impression.
Michael AdamsSolutions Architect| LANLLos Alamos, Nm, United States
Hi Ganesh, I would tend to go with an agenda, but the first thing I would ask is what he/she wants to walk away with out of this meeting. Then I'd address that specifically with anything I say or present. I'd also look for opportunities to create a dialogue, so that you aren't simply presenting, but rather finding out what your stakeholder is interested in, addressing that, and seeing where that leads in terms of interest. You might find that you'll walk away with new ideas and clarity that you didn't have previously. It's a good opportunity to make an impression as a team player, and someone who really knows how to find out what is needed, and address that. Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
I would give your Big Boss 22-24 minutes back.
Condense your message into a 6-8 minutes speech. Make sure you have three points to convey, supported with facts, statistics or anecdotes. Finish with a takeaway item for your boss to do. Consider providing him a handout after your speech.
Your boss will probably fill all that extra time with questions. After a question is asked, take two to three seconds before answering. That time will allow you to provide strong answers. (Anticipate the questions he will be asking.) Saving Changes...
Ganesh SrinivasanGanesh PMO (PMP, PMI-SP, ITIL-F)| MNC BankChennai, India
Dear Thomas / Michael / Stephane , Thanks for your inputs. Your guidance is shaping me up, and boosts my confidence.
@Thomas, Thanks a lot , I will prepare myself , i understand he is Football fan :) Loves Car.
@Michael, sure will think on the new ideas.
@Stephane, you made us to think completely different - Short and Crisp and handing over the remaining 22 Mins to Big Boss is good idea, i will think about and see how best my presentation is coming up.
To ALL :
1st One Minute Introduction about me - Any thoughts and ideas ? (Since its a first meet).
Thank you once again.
-Ganesh Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Ganesh,
my advice would be to NOT talk about yourself. Big leaders shine through their people and results. Be humble and confident.
Your boss probably knows something about you and he will learn the more from your behavior rather than from what you might say about yourself.
Why don't you start by praising your team, telling him about a recent challenge they overcame in order to reach this and that result. Maybe even introduce 2-3 of them and let them just say something short. Then very soon prepare for your request, e.g. 'we have 2 things we struggle with currently and maybe you can give us some advise' - this will make him curious what these 2 things are.
I agree with Stephane, do not plan to fill 30 minutes by yourself, but be prepared to fill them if he asks you. Saving Changes...
Ganesh SrinivasanGanesh PMO (PMP, PMI-SP, ITIL-F)| MNC BankChennai, India
@Thomas, Thanks you are right :) I dont have reportees, but as you mentioned i can praise about the whole team to start and put the top 2 problem areas in the table and give the space to leader to put his view.
Thank you very much Thomas :) Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
One last comment, Ganesh:
Use the PMI Code of Ethics as a Guidance:
- Respect:
Show respect to the executive by trying to understand what he/she is interested in, professionally but also personally.
Show respect to team you are representing by valuing their contributions, even inviting them to speak
Show respect to your clients by mentioning their feedback, even if it is critical
Show respect to yourself by preparing well, being punctual, dressing clean and appropriate
- Responsibility:
Take responsibility for any issues raised, the executive does not want to be pointed to someone else if he asks you something
Take responsibility also for mistakes and show what you learned from them
Take responsibility for the preparation and timing of the meeting, give back time to the executive
- Honesty:
Try to be yourself, do not fake behaviors. Probably the executive is better than you in reading people and he will quite quickly be able to judge you and see if you try to fake or not. So forget about it. An executive may judge you in the first 5 seconds, by your eye contact, facial expression, handshake, your outfit (clean shoes?), even before you can say a word.
do not hide facts he knows, since you might not know what he knows, be honest
- Fairness:
Try to understand the executive’s situation and do not overwhelm him/her with garbage information, make him/her feel safe, welcome, comfortable and valued
Rather than claiming success on yourself, highlight the contribution of others, giving them their fair share Saving Changes...
Henry HattenrathProject Consultant| Tectonic Engineering MSA LLCNew York, Ny, United States
Hi Ganesh
While the preceding advice is sound, why not ask the Big Boss or his executive assistant what topics will be reviewed. His time is valuable and he likely has an objective for his visit. I am sure his business practices for meetings would dedicate advance notice on topics and metrics. You do not want to prepare your presentation and then be blindsided by him asking something unexpected like-we are trimming overhead expenses and need recommendations for cost cutting measures and staff reductions.
Henry Saving Changes...
Ganesh SrinivasanGanesh PMO (PMP, PMI-SP, ITIL-F)| MNC BankChennai, India
@Thomas, thanks for pointing the PMI Codes & Ethics surely i will follow.
Hi Henry,
Thanks for your input. Yes true, Big boss is coming to visit ODC with various agendas, which i'm unable to mention. I will also check that.
Hi All,
It would be very helpful for me if any format / deck template (example) for me as startpoint.
Looking forward four replies.
-Ganesh Saving Changes...
Great inputs from all the above professionals . Just as an after thought , be realistic when you talk to him about the opportunities or competitions etc. in your area of business. Hyping up or exaggerating the scenarios might create problems in later stage.
Good luck . Saving Changes...
Bala S DuvvuriProject Manager| ShellBangalore, Karnataka, India
Ganesh,
Let us know what happened after your meeting and lessons learned.
Wish you all the very best.
