One on One Scheduling Guidance (Part 1 of 2)
December 16th, 2007This cast describes how to schedule your One on Ones.
We get lots of questions on One on Ones (O3s). And, we’re happy that we do, because O3s are the heart of the Management Trinity. We find a lot of managers struggle with when to have their one on ones, whose calendar takes precedence, what days of the week are best, etc.
In this cast, we talk about ALL those factors, as well as the benefits of varying techniques that we’ve seen different managers use to schedule their O3s.
We finish with the single most important guidance regarding O3 scheduling you’ll ever hear, so stay tuned.
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December 16th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Mike,
Thank you very much. Its 0530 am Indian time Monday morning and this podcast is in my IPOD, ready to listen for my morning walk in an hour’s time.
Thanks for working this out.
Regards
Karthik.
December 16th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Thanks, Karthik … I can’t promise I’ll get it done *every* week, but I’m trying.
Mike
December 17th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
I’ll add one additional suggestion: If you have multiple managers in your department that hold O3 meetings, you should coordinate with them to pick some times (e.g., we decided on Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday mornings). This makes it easier to plan *other* meetings. We had a lot of problems in my group, since no matter when you tried to plan a meeting, somebody had an immovable O3 right in the middle of it. Coordinating the O3 schedules really helped here.
–Rich
December 17th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
The timing of this cast could not have been better. My NY’s resolution is to begin O3’s and this definately helps get me started. I’m sure there are others out there that are looking at the beginning of 08, with the same idea.
Thanks
December 18th, 2007 at 11:34 am
Mike/Mark: Well, I had just scheduled my 1-1s and now I see all that I did wrong
. I picked the times and assigned them, I did look in Outlook and made sure that they had the time off, but I assigned them! Sorry! The all accepted. I have 4 reports. 3 of them are co-located with me here, the 4th one is in Lyon, France.
What do you think if I ask them if the time is OK during our first meeting and re-schedule if its no convenient?
thanks
JoeM
December 18th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
JoeM-
I think there is a difference between asking them if the time they have is okay and telling them you’ve learned more, and want to be sensitive to their situations, and would be happy to move it if they have a different suggestion.
Just be honest with them.
Mark
December 18th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
OK, that sounds like a plan. We also had a situation where I have two skips, one that used to be a testing manager and the other a technical writer manager. For reasons that i will not get into now, we gave each some testers and tech writers to manage. I was talking today to the ex testing manager and he was telling me how people would still come to him with testing questions since the other manager didn’t know much about testing yet. I suggested that he meet with his peer (the ex-tech writer manager) for 30 min each week and trade stories (testing and tech writing). My idea is that the tester give the other advice on how to handle testing questions and vice versa. That way at some point the tester can push testing questions that belong in the other group to his peer.
It is a variation of the 1-1. What do you think?
I asked to be kept informed on the progress.
JoeM
December 19th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Does the forum have any scheduling suggestions for the below situation?
I manage a team of eight technicians, all of whom work independently and travel all over the northern Illinois area. Typically, I may see each one of them for five to ten minutes a week if I happen to be in my office when they stop by to pick up parts. Some I only see once a month for staff meetings. Time is literally money to these guys, as they are bonused on how many machines they touch each month and how well the machines work. Additionally, schedules have to be very fluid as they never know what they are walking into at any given customer site.
So far, my attempts at doing O3s have been more ad hoc. I’ve considered traveling around and doing O3s on-site, but don’t like doing them at customer locations. I’ve also thought about doing O3s via the phone, but worry about the technicians being on their cells while driving.
Anyone else in a similar situation, and if so how have you been handling O3s?
December 19th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Wes,
Meet them at the public library or coffee shop before or after a call.
Downside is you could be traveling a lot more, but it will speak volumes that you care about them.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Phone is fine. I have done close to half the one on ones in my life over the phone.
I’ve managed folks in the field, and there is plenty of time to have one on ones. They’re NOT ripping from place to place without a half hour to spare. If they were, you’d have accidents all the time. (Dominos not withstanding.)
Sure, they’ll push back, but they’ll push back on nearly anything. But one on ones work…ad hoc isn’t enough.
Keep at it!
Mark
December 20th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Guys
I have been doing O3’s now for 5 months and have seen a boost in the morale, productivity and attitude of some team members I am doing them with.
I have to admit when I decided to start, I gave less consideration to effective scheduling and more toward a bias for action. I started with times that were mutually agreed upon and that seemed to work. Some have been modified since making them even more effective. This cast would have been helpful before I started but oh well!
I have some team members who work on a fixed 24 / 7 shift schedule so they choice of O3 time was dictated more by their schedule than mine. Not the most convenient (2 are very early morning) but necessary. This I would think is an exception to the rules on this cast.
I have also added my local Starbucks as an offsite location for O3’s from time to time. Nice change of pace, definitely private (yet public) and great coffee!
Best of luck with your O3’s everyone.
Ron
December 21st, 2007 at 12:07 am
Ron-
Another great post. All points dead on. I hope we didn’t imply making scheduling a reason to delay, or take away our general zest for an action bias. That said, I can see where some would make it a scheduling exercise rather than a bold step in the right direction. As Napoleon said, “attack and then look.”
And you’re right - defined schedules limit us. Some managers take that to mean, “I can’t,”…glad you saw through that.
Well said.
Mark