I am generalizing and discriminating when I say that in a meeting women take notes and men don’t.
There are always exceptions to this and there are men who are avid list makers and great Product, Program and Project Managers. I have huge respect for them since they make lives of the contributors so much easier. But my experience in many years in work force, consulting and otherwise has made me realize that when it comes to creating meeting agenda, taking notes, sharing next steps and action items, it is usually done with the women in the team irrespective of the role. If she is not doing it, it is only because she knows that there is another person in the room who is taking care of it.
This is especially challenging when the teams are small and there isn’t a luxury of having a project manager, program manager or a secretary on the project. My assumption is that the task of setting up the agenda, expectations, documenting the minutes and action items falls upon the Product/Project Manager or Owner. The excuses range from:
- I have it all in my head and you can reach out to me anytime if you have a question.
- I can’t be doing all these, I have better things to do by owning this vision.
- I don’t believe in making lists and wasting paper.
- I’d rather be checking my emails while you all discuss the details of my product/project.
- I am not good with words.
- I can’t write.
What they don’t really say out loud is “It is a girl thing” because we still have not evolved to think that I can do everything a girl can even if that means more streamlined meetings that are effective and saves everyone time.
My tip to you visionaries – make a list, it will free your mind to do greater and better things. And if you make your list to run effective meetings, you will have a team to collaborate and follow on your vision.
Experience Capture 