Meeting Cancelled

So much for preparation!

In this world of telecommuting, doing more with less including more work with less people or covering more territory with less reps, nothing hurts more than a leader who would choose to cancel a planned meeting the night before without a viable explanation.

The leader needs to realize the preparation the team makes to arrive at the meeting ready to participate - whether it is spending time (sometimes hours) preparing reports, consolidating notes, developing presentations, travelling and finding accomodations. All of the preparation goes for naught and the respect for the leader drops notches at a time!

A leader needs to foresight and discipline to visualize his/her team and understand the pressure they live with to perform above and beyond expectations. Once the leader can see this clearly, they can also capitalize on the evolving relationship and the developing mutual respect.

What to do if this happens? Clearly express to the leader your disappointment and provide the notes prepared for the meeting so that you can ensure that they understand the importance of your participation.

What tips do you have when this happens to you?  How do you fix this with your team when you are making it happen?