Well, there was the time our dog bit our CEO. But that’s turned into more of a joke. And the CEO needed a little bit of nipping.

A lot of good meetings come down to preparation.

I think the one I didn’t prepare for enough that I’m most embarrassed by was the first time I ever had to let someone go.

He was a contractor and wasn’t a good fit. But I’d never let anyone go so I was nervous as hell.

My boss was in the room with me to witness the proceedings. That’s generally considered a best practice to avoid frivolous lawsuits.

But I found another reason to have a second voice, because when the time got started to do the deed, all I could say was one word.

I got the person’s name out and then I completely froze. After about a minute of me not saying anything, my boss jumped in and calmly and simply delivered the news.

Now when I’m nervous about a meeting I prepare, even going as far as having a script.