Make Yourself Valuable in Meetings by Offering Solutions

Making yourself valuable at work often comes down to one behavior: offering solutions instead of listing problems.

Your manager announced another process change. The team groans. Someone lists three reasons it won't work. Another person mentions the failed attempt six months ago. The meeting stalls.

This is your moment.

Why this matters now:

When companies face economic pressure, they keep the people who solve problems. Identifying what's broken is easy. Everyone does it. Offering workable solutions makes you valuable.

The goal is not to dominate meetings or position yourself as the hero. The goal is to demonstrate that you think beyond complaints toward practical fixes.

How to identify the right meeting:

Look at your calendar for the next three days. You need a meeting where:

• A problem will be discussed (status updates, planning sessions, retrospectives)
• You have relevant knowledge or experience
• The stakes are moderate (not a crisis, not trivial)

Avoid board-level meetings where you're observing. Avoid one-on-ones where the dynamic is different. Choose a team meeting where multiple people will contribute.

What counts as a solution:

A solution is not a complete answer to every aspect of the problem. A solution is a specific next step that moves work forward.

Examples:

• "We could test this with the beta group first and gather feedback before rolling it out"
• "I can draft the communication and send it to you by Thursday for review"
• "The vendor we used for the last project has a template we could adapt"

These solutions share three qualities: they're specific, they're achievable, and they assign responsibility (often to yourself).

What doesn't work:

Vague suggestions that create more work for others:

• "We should probably look into that"
• "Maybe someone could research options"
• "Has anyone thought about doing this differently"

These statements sound helpful but produce no movement. They also signal that you identify problems without owning any part of the fix.

The three-part structure:

When the moment arrives in your meeting, use this pattern:

1. Acknowledge the problem briefly
2. Offer a specific solution
3. Take ownership of the next step

"The timeline is tight. We could break this into two phases and deliver the critical features first. I can outline what goes in each phase and share it by tomorrow."

"The client keeps changing requirements. We could implement a change request process where new requests get evaluated for timeline impact. I'll draft a simple form we can use."

You're not solving everything. You're moving one piece forward.

After the meeting:

Follow through immediately. If you said you'd draft something by Thursday, have it done Wednesday. If you offered to research options, send findings within 24 hours.

This follow-through is more important than the meeting contribution itself. People forget what you said. They remember whether you delivered.

What to do today:

Open your calendar. Find one meeting in the next three days where a problem will be discussed. Write one sentence describing a solution you could offer. You don't need to speak up yet. You're training yourself to think in solutions rather than complaints.

Tomorrow, when the meeting happens, offer it.