Meetings and group decision making are all the rage in corporate America, but both can be time-consuming pains. Let's face it, when you go to a meeting on a subject of professional interest, you have certain ideas about how things should be done. Dealing with less enlightened meeting participants is frustrating and takes way too long. Worse, you often come out of the meeting with few if any of your ideas incorporated into the final decisions. That's the bad news.
The good news is that there is a foolproof method to get things done the right way, your way, in a group setting.
Go to each meeting with well thought out ideas concerning desired outcomes. Say nothing. When someone articulates an idea close to yours, agree wholeheartedly. If necessary, modify their idea as necessary to fit yours more closely.
In some instances, no one in the group will be smart enough to independently voice ideas close to yours. No problem. It is rather easy to manipulate other group members into eventually advancing your ideas. Most people love to talk about their own ideas, and with a little subterfuge you can put a few words in their mouth. All it takes is a little patience and a few well placed words. After a while, it is actually quite fun.
