Yes, it's true. The meeting after the meeting does exist. It's not an urban legend.
In fact, the meeting after the meeting (or let's call it the MATM for short) can actually be more important than the original meeting. Many people think it's really a big gripe session about the meeting. But a true MATM is very important—it often provides insight into the people and discussions that you usually can't get during the meeting itself.
As a business professional, you want to be included in the MATM. Here are six dynamics to watch for:
The purpose: Typically, the MATM is part venting and part strategy. Usually, participants are frustrated about something that happened during the meeting (the venting part) and the conversation turns toward brainstorming ways to fix the situation (the strategy part).
A MATM of only griping? Well, that's just a gripe session. Not to say a gripe session isn't noteworthy, but it's beyond the scope of this book. Often gripe sessions are about...