4 ms·

Once a week for 30 mins, and I never, ever reschedule them. I treat these meetings as untouchable because I want my direct reports to know that I value them. I

Once a week for 30 mins, and I never, ever reschedule them. I treat these meetings as untouchable because I want my direct reports to know that I value them. I don't want to reschedule and make them feel like I don't care, so I will never reschedule them. We don't discuss their weekly work or tasks, we discuss their careers, their career path, how they can get to the next level, any problems they are encountering, etc. I dedicate this time to them and their career and their time at the company.

atomical 8y ago
Do you think it's possible that reports may think this is a waste of their time?
- refulgentis 8y ago
  I've seen very few peers feel this way occassionally, and it's insane to me. If you can't find a way to get value from 30m with your manager, there's something obstinate about you, not wise.
  - willmacdonald 8y ago
    @refulgentis Can you give me examples of value you got from your manager in a 1-on-1?
  - Aeolun 8y ago
    I can get value from 30m with my manager if he’s not otherwise available. If I sit next to him on a daily basis, not so much.
  - wst_ 8y ago
    I have even more than 30 minutes. When there's a need. Then I go to him, speak with him, share the problem or revelation I have, he advises or take an advice, we check on it later if needed and off we go. None of my colleagues values wasting their time (we've got a discussion about it already,) so if you'd like to show us you care, you'd reduce number of meetings greatly.
  - eeZah7Ux 8y ago
    > If you can't find a way ... there's something obstinate about you Blaming the employee when the manager is responsible.
- fma 8y ago
  I'm surprised to see lots of comments with managers meeting their direct reports for 30 minutes per week...assuming 10 reports, thats 5 hours a week... Or basically 1 hour per day just to talk about someone's career. My manager blocks off 2 hours per week. If you have something to talk about, put a meeting on his calendar. The only obligation is the semi annual 1:1. I talk to my manager on a daily basis so any 1:1 is really for career path, no project status, gripes about people, etc.
- docker_up 8y ago
  Of course if they want to skip their 1:1 that's up to them. I am actively telling them that I'm making 30 mins a week available for them strictly for them, but if they feel like they would rather do something else, that's perfectly fine for me.
myegorov 8y ago
What could transpire within a week _outside of_ weekly work or tasks that could influence your reports' career trajectory or force them to re-evaluate it? To put this in context, I'm attending such meetings but really see them as a noblesse oblige type of ritual that serves to reinforce our rapport (we don't see each other much otherwise), but otherwise a waste of my time from my standpoint.
- toephu2 8y ago
  Agreed. I find 1:1s to be rather useless along with engineering managers in general if I may be honest, they are simply paper pushers and approve expense reports here and there. You are the one in control of your career and you have to put in work yourself to make it to the next level, the EM is there just to submit your promotion packet and act like they provide value to the company (they don't do any real "work" per say, and at the end of the week if you ask them what have they accomplished, pretty much all they can say is attended a bunch of meetings). *maybe I am being a bit harsh, they do provide some value in that they would be trying to guide me and provide feedback about how I can make it to the next level, but usually that is spelled out in a eng career ladder, and you would know what skills you need to work on from peer feedback, not your EM since your EM does not work with you everyday nor review your code.
  - jimnotgym 8y ago
    I think maybe consider one of the following could be true 1) You have worked with bad managers 2) You don't appreciate what a manager has to deal with. I have often felt that one of my roles as a manager is to protect the team from the board. The board waste a lot of my time while the team get to keep working. Equally the board prefer to deal with me because I have learned how to put things in their terms. Maybe you should use your one on one to ask what they have been doing recently. I have a good friend who is a senior engineer who is always complaining about managers, but hates dealing with other stakeholders in the business. Maybe you are under-appreciating them because you don't like what they have to do. In terms of career progression, yes a manager can't do that for you. However a manager can recognise that you are driven and allocate work that gives you the experience they want. I spend a lot of time doing PR for my team. The board don't really understand what they do and it is hard for them to tell who is good and who is not. I'm currently moving out of a position, and my best direct report is replacing me (in a reorganised role, doing more tech and less management). They got the job because of my advocacy, and because I allocated them work that would prepare them for the role over the past couple of years. They have been nervously learning the ropes whilst constantly commenting that, 'I remember this!'.
ares_precarious 8y ago
As a subordinate, I would think once a month is more than adequate. How often do things change in your career path where you would need that much time to discuss it. Obviously there are times you may need to meet more frequently but shouldn't that be on the subordinate to schedule if they are interested in their future?

atomical 8y ago

Do you think it's possible that reports may think this is a waste of their time?

refulgentis 8y ago
I've seen very few peers feel this way occassionally, and it's insane to me. If you can't find a way to get value from 30m with your manager, there's something obstinate about you, not wise.
- willmacdonald 8y ago
  @refulgentis Can you give me examples of value you got from your manager in a 1-on-1?
- Aeolun 8y ago
  I can get value from 30m with my manager if he’s not otherwise available. If I sit next to him on a daily basis, not so much.
- wst_ 8y ago
  I have even more than 30 minutes. When there's a need. Then I go to him, speak with him, share the problem or revelation I have, he advises or take an advice, we check on it later if needed and off we go. None of my colleagues values wasting their time (we've got a discussion about it already,) so if you'd like to show us you care, you'd reduce number of meetings greatly.
- eeZah7Ux 8y ago
  > If you can't find a way ... there's something obstinate about you Blaming the employee when the manager is responsible.
fma 8y ago
I'm surprised to see lots of comments with managers meeting their direct reports for 30 minutes per week...assuming 10 reports, thats 5 hours a week... Or basically 1 hour per day just to talk about someone's career. My manager blocks off 2 hours per week. If you have something to talk about, put a meeting on his calendar. The only obligation is the semi annual 1:1. I talk to my manager on a daily basis so any 1:1 is really for career path, no project status, gripes about people, etc.
docker_up 8y ago
Of course if they want to skip their 1:1 that's up to them. I am actively telling them that I'm making 30 mins a week available for them strictly for them, but if they feel like they would rather do something else, that's perfectly fine for me.

myegorov 8y ago

What could transpire within a week _outside of_ weekly work or tasks that could influence your reports' career trajectory or force them to re-evaluate it? To put this in context, I'm attending such meetings but really see them as a noblesse oblige type of ritual that serves to reinforce our rapport (we don't see each other much otherwise), but otherwise a waste of my time from my standpoint.

toephu2 8y ago
Agreed. I find 1:1s to be rather useless along with engineering managers in general if I may be honest, they are simply paper pushers and approve expense reports here and there. You are the one in control of your career and you have to put in work yourself to make it to the next level, the EM is there just to submit your promotion packet and act like they provide value to the company (they don't do any real "work" per say, and at the end of the week if you ask them what have they accomplished, pretty much all they can say is attended a bunch of meetings). *maybe I am being a bit harsh, they do provide some value in that they would be trying to guide me and provide feedback about how I can make it to the next level, but usually that is spelled out in a eng career ladder, and you would know what skills you need to work on from peer feedback, not your EM since your EM does not work with you everyday nor review your code.
- jimnotgym 8y ago
  I think maybe consider one of the following could be true 1) You have worked with bad managers 2) You don't appreciate what a manager has to deal with. I have often felt that one of my roles as a manager is to protect the team from the board. The board waste a lot of my time while the team get to keep working. Equally the board prefer to deal with me because I have learned how to put things in their terms. Maybe you should use your one on one to ask what they have been doing recently. I have a good friend who is a senior engineer who is always complaining about managers, but hates dealing with other stakeholders in the business. Maybe you are under-appreciating them because you don't like what they have to do. In terms of career progression, yes a manager can't do that for you. However a manager can recognise that you are driven and allocate work that gives you the experience they want. I spend a lot of time doing PR for my team. The board don't really understand what they do and it is hard for them to tell who is good and who is not. I'm currently moving out of a position, and my best direct report is replacing me (in a reorganised role, doing more tech and less management). They got the job because of my advocacy, and because I allocated them work that would prepare them for the role over the past couple of years. They have been nervously learning the ropes whilst constantly commenting that, 'I remember this!'.

ares_precarious 8y ago

As a subordinate, I would think once a month is more than adequate. How often do things change in your career path where you would need that much time to discuss it. Obviously there are times you may need to meet more frequently but shouldn't that be on the subordinate to schedule if they are interested in their future?