Day 10: Ask to lead a meeting that your manager usually runs
Your manager juggles countless meetings every week - and you're sitting there watching, not contributing to your fullest potential!
๐๐๐ธ ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐.
Whether itโs standups, sprint planning, or stakeholder check-ins, this is a chance to step up.
When you take ownership of facilitation, you're not just developing skills - you're giving your manager time back to focus on higher-level work.
A few years ago Manjusha Parvathaneni asked me if she could take over driving a monthly meeting with key partners. I was delighted to have the chance to offload a meeting from my schedule while giving her an opportunity to be visible and grow. This led her to a senior manager promotion and many more growth opportunities. Iโm so glad she asked!
๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฝ๐: "I noticed you're managing a lot of meetings right now. I'd be happy to take the lead on facilitating our [meeting name] - it would free up some bandwidth for you while giving me valuable leadership experience. Would that be helpful?"
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐:
โ Leads with solving your manager's time crunch
โ Shows you're thinking about team efficiency
โ Positions your development as a bonus benefit
โ Demonstrates readiness for more responsibility
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐'๐น๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ:
โข Setting agendas and managing time
โข Keeping discussions focused and productive
โข Managing group dynamics
โข Making decisions and driving outcomes
๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น: Choose meetings you already attend regularly - you'll understand the context and objectives.
๐๐ณ ๐ถ๐'๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐: Ask for feedback afterward. This creates concrete examples for future promotion conversations.
๐๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: Suggest co-facilitating first, or taking over just one section of the meeting.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐ฝ: Your manager gets to evaluate your leadership potential in real-time, while you build skills that directly impact your promotion readiness.
This is strategic development - you're solving business needs while advancing your career.
๐ Liked this post? Follow me on LinkedIn or here on Substack for the remaining posts in this series and more!
โ Want to get even better at asking? I still have a limited number of seats left in the July 25 cohort of my course. Last cohort of this year! https://maven.com/chaitali-narla/outstanding-tech-career