ADVICE
Help! We’ ve got a meeting monopoliser
Dear Aunt Tees,
Every meeting in our office is hijacked by the same woman. Whatever the subject, she interrupts everyone, turns the conversation back to herself and somehow leaves with all the credit while the rest of us barely get a word in. Everyone moans about it afterwards, but nobody ever challenges her. Is there a polite way of dealing with someone who thinks every meeting is their own personal TED Talk?
- Name supplied, Redcar
Aunt Tees replies
The promotion everyone saw coming
Every office has one.
Some people mistake airtime for leadership. They don’ t realise that the smartest person in the room is often the one asking the questions rather than answering all of them.
If you’ re chairing the meeting, it’ s your responsibility to manage it.“ Thanks Sarah, let’ s hear from someone else,” is a perfectly reasonable sentence.
If you’ re not, don’ t wait until afterwards to complain in the kitchen. Speak up while you’ re in the room. You don’ t need to be confrontational. Simply say,“ Can I come back to the original point?”
Eventually, even the biggest meeting monopoliser discovers they’ re no longer the only voice people are listening to.
Dear Aunt Tees,
The owner’ s son joined our company just six months ago. Last week he was promoted into a management role ahead of staff who’ ve been loyal for years. The problem is, he simply isn’ t that good. Everyone knows why he’ s got the job, morale has plummeted and some excellent people are already talking about leaving. Is there any point raising it, or is this just the reality of working for a family business?
- JG, Stockton
Aunt Tees replies
Family businesses are built on trust and succession. There’ s nothing wrong with sons, daughters or other relatives joining the company. Many outstanding businesses have passed successfully from one generation to the next.
The problem isn’ t that the owner’ s son has been promoted. It’ s whether everyone else believes he earned it.
Before marching into the boss’ s office, ask yourself an honest question: is this a genuine pattern or simply a decision you disagree with? Six months isn’ t long, but it’ s also not impossible for someone to prove themselves.
If morale is genuinely suffering and respected colleagues are talking about leaving, it’ s worth raising concerns calmly with someone you trust, whether that’ s HR, another senior manager or a director with influence. Focus on the impact on the business rather than making it personal.
But don’ t become the office ringleader. Gossip rarely changes minds.
The owner’ s son now has the toughest job in the company. Every decision he makes will be judged against one question: Has he actually earned this? If the answer becomes“ yes”, the noise will fade. If it remains“ no”, the owner has a much bigger problem than an unhappy workforce – he risks losing the very people who helped build the business in the first place.
The voice of business in the Tees region | 31