The Bomb that may take out O3s

Please remember that O3s are saving you time. If you think you can accomplish more by leaving out the O3s you are in for a nasty surprise. 20 is a lot, but spending 10 hours per week on O3s means you still have 75% of your time available for other stuff!

Then you don't have to become superman. You can do some of the new reports every other week. Once the transition is complete, it is likely that there will be a re-organization, and then you can do O3's for your new team weekly.

JHB

"00"

Would it be out of line to develop some 'team leads' that you would have O3's with and they would have O3's w/ the rest of the crew? 

This might be a good time to raise up some leaders in your group. Maybe those that already know the O3 / MT models???

Joe

I like that answer 12 string. The high performers O3 the lower folks, and learn how to give feedback as well.

Start with having the leads listen to the O3 rollout!

JHB  "00"

I've done more than 20 O3s and it is possible. It takes a fair bit of willpower but as RWWH said, it saves time in the long run.

The key to making sure other stuff gets done is to also use delegation. Delegate delegate delegate. Use your best performers to pick up that extra "manager" work and O3s to guide them and help them develop. Yes, even coaching is possible (indeed mandatory) for this many people and again it works because it becomes a lever to help you manage the whole organisation.

Don't take the entire load yourself, enlist the support of your directs to help the whole organisation succeed in the other managers' absence.

Good luck.

-- Peter

DISC: 2564
@pjwestley

In my opinion, I don't think you'll see a significant benefit in only 3 months. It takes almost that long for people to adjust to one-on-ones in the first place! You may end up wasting a lot of time.

For the sake of a short-term solution, I would suggest discrete-izing the groups somehow and appointing interim team leaders/senior IT people (sorry I'm not an IT person), similar to what 12string mentioned. I wouldn't lose sight of whatever you would delegate because it may be reality for you again soon enough.

Of course this all assumes this short-term situation will really last 3 months...

Please let us know how this worked out.

Dave

I like everything the group has said here and I was thinking along the same lines. Yes, the O3s will help everyone that gets added to your team and this is a great opportunity for you to form some smaller teams and delegate their operations to some of your high performers, while you coach them with their new leadership responsiblities.

You're not the only one going through this. You and the two other managers not in the transition planning are all in the same boat. I'm guessing they are looking for the same help that you're looking for. Make sure you discuss this at your staff meetings and work together to help everyone through the transition.

I think there is a Churchill quote like, "When the seas are calm all boats float equally well." Now while the stakes are high and resources are scarce is when differentiation among the leaders and managers becomes evident. When your team maintains morale and effective relationships through O3s as well as professional growth with increased delegation, the whole company will notice. Trust in your training as well as the experience you have with O3s.

Try listening to the Rolling Out the Trinity casts again. They talk about returning to the basics when the dynamics of the group changes. The group is different while you're going through the transition and you'll want to address this with everyone from the beginning.

I also liked the more recent cast about Ideal Team Size. Be prepared for the increase in relationships within the group, not the increase in individuals. If you can organize some smaller teams within the group, you'll be much better able to handle the relationships.

Jack
San Diego