Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There!: Ten Principles for Leading Meetings That Matter

Most people think meetings are all too often a waste of time. But Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff say that’s only because of the way most meetings are set up and run. In Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There! they offer ten principles that will allow you to get more done in meetings by doing less. The key is knowing what you can and can’t control. You can’t control people’s motives, behavior, or attitudes. That’s one area where most meeting leaders’ attempts to "do something" actually end up doing nothing at all. But you can control the conditions under which people interact, and you can control your own reactions. Based on over 30 years of experience and extensive research, Weisbord and Janoff show exactly how to establish a meeting structure that will create conditions for success, efficiency, and productivity. And, equally important, they offer advice for making sure your own emotions don’t get in the way — for knowing when to "just stand there" rather than intervene inappropriately, unproductively, or futilely.