A mental checklist might help which would enable you to, very subtly, take charge of the conversation.
A checklist works in anticipation of any meeting, but until those details are confirmed, I personally would have no idea who my boss wants to attend a meeting, what kind of meeting it is or indeed what preparation is required. People in these positions need to provide that information for us to be able to do our job.
Guaranteed some meetings are recurring and follow the same format each time, so in that case we just use our iniative.
Providing support is one thing, being a mind-reader is another thing entirely.
