This cast describes how to refresh your One on Ones with your directs after you've been doing them for 1-2 years.

If you've been doing one on ones for 1-2-3-4 years, and you're like us, your core manager tool may have gotten a little stale. There's certainly nothing wrong with being so comfortable with this systemic behavior that it's second nature. Don't get us wrong – we're not saying you've gotten off-track, or have gradually become ineffective with it.

But over the years we've discovered that being comfortable with a core behavior makes one forget how to be the very best at it. One on Ones are a process, while what we talk about in them is the content. That means we begin to think of them as the content, rather than the process. But like most human systems, weak process begins to infect content. In other words, if we're not sharp in how we run our one on ones, we get less good information. Our relationship building plateaus when it could still be deepening or growing.

So, how to refresh? There are two easy ways to improve our O3 quality easily.

1. Do a Fresh Rollout
2. Focus On YOUR Behaviors
   1. Ask Better QUESTIONS
   2. LISTEN More Effectively
   3. Take Better NOTES

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This cast describes how to start every One on One.

One of the most important lessons for experienced users of the One on One Manager Tool is the value of continuity over instances. One on ones are in a sense like feedback in that no single instance of either is important. It's the commitment and I-can-count-on-my-boss-interacting-with-me-this-way repetition that deliver a major part of the value of these Manager Tools.

Now, look, you can't create continuity while ignoring instances. In order to be admired for one's constancy, one has to repeatedly do things, for a while. But a lot of managers are looking for the silver bullet, the ONE THING, the great idea, that makes management easy. If we had to pick one, it really would be one on ones…but it's not the 30 minute INSTANCE of a one on one that matters…it's the constancy. Constancy is the complement of all other virtues, as the saying goes. Hey, we admit it – one on ones are the slowest moving silver bullet ever invented.

So, what are some of the behaviors we can engage in in each INSTANCE of our one on ones that increase the value of our CONSTANCY? The first is our first question.

1. Ask The Same First Question EVERY Time
2. Write Down The Answer EVERY Time
3. Some Recommended First Questions

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The conclusion of our discussion on Project Manager One on Ones.

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This cast explains the basics of how to have One on Ones with project team members who do not report to you.

Yes, you can have one on ones in a matrix organization. They work wonderfully.  One reason is that matrix orgs reduce communication while increasing the amount of chatter, and One on Ones directly improve communication.  While we recommend One on Ones virtually exclusively for manager-team member relationships, the Project Manager-team member relationship has become important enough, and common enough, to justify this additional meeting.  [Again: we don’t recommend we try to create One on Ones with our boss.  We do that with our Professional Update.]

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We've said it a hundred times, but we've never covered the basics of HOW to conduct a One on One on the phone. Clearly it works – Mark has shared that over half of the O3s he's done have been over the phone. Here's how.

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This cast begins our series on the the Management Trinity, and our reasons for each of its three (four) components: One on Ones, Feedback, Coaching and Delegation.

We've talked about the Management Trinity for nearly three years, but we've never really laid out specifically how and why it works. The best managers we know use these basic principles all the time to make themselves, their teams, and their organizations more effective.

How can you have a great One on One with your boss?

How can you get the the most out of the most valuable recurring communication investment you make? This is an important question ... and it seems that a lot of managers DO NOT ask it. Some of the managers who are quite good at running their OWN O3s aren't very good at getting the most out of their time with their boss. Frankly, we think that if they reported to themselves, they'd be disappointed in their direct.

Today, we finish our discussion on the fine art of Scheduling One-on-Ones.

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This 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.

One of the most challenging aspects of being a manager is leading people who are remote to you. Sometimes it's one team member being offsite; sometimes entire teams are spread across the country or even the globe, or even just across a corporate campus. All these situations are examples of "virtual" teams...and managing a virtual team is notably harder than managing a group that are co-located. And, these suggestions work well for project teams that may be in the same location but are matrixed together.

This cast addresses the special difficulties virtual teams present.