If a meeting is necessary, it is the responsibility of the leader to clearly articulate the goals of the meeting and the roles of everyone who is to attend. Think back to Julia’s situation. Her client, Jacob, wants to get his sales force interested and excited about the launch of the Web site. Getting the sales force together to view the beta version and get feedback on it might seem like a good way to brainstorm ideas for marketing. But Jacob failed to clarify what he wanted to accomplish at the meeting and what Julia’s role would be. He might have made a more efficient use of Julia’s time by discussing elements of the design with her prior to the meeting or asking her to outline a few key features for him to use in the meeting without her actually attending.