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Don’t Let an Aggressive Colleague Commandeer Your Meeting

I’ve seen it happen so often. A colleague chairs a meeting and curmudgeonly coworkers set out to undermine her authority. The curmudgeons particularly like to challenge a coworker’s authority when a manager is present. Nothing could make the meeting-wreckers happier than to engineer your meltdown with the boss as a witness. The wreckers generally succeed with people who are unprepared and unsure of themselves. They fail when the person running the meeting makes it clear by her assertiveness and efficiency that she is in charge. If you master just a few mechanics you can keep the meeting-wreckers at bay. First remind yourself that you have the authority to run the meeting. Everything stems from that: the topics of discussion, the recognition of speakers, the time limits on speaking. If an overbearing colleague rattles on, ask him or her to wrap up so other views can be heard. If the person speaks out of turn, ask the person to wait. When meeting-wreckers succeed they make you act defensively. Then you lose credibility and authority. By mastering a few mechanics you can retain control of a meeting.