I'm a production manager for a beverage company, my shift team is made up of managers and engineers. We operate a shift pattern which is not routine in regularity, but usually consists of 3-4 shifts (12hrs) rotating between days and nights with 1-2 weeks off every 6-8wks
I've initiated O3's with my managers with the frequency every period of night shifts (it too difficult to conduct them when we're on day-shift), which means we may go 2-3 weeks between sit-downs. This can often lead for the duration to extend to 45mins and even then we may not have all covered off.
Due to the environment (manufacturing) I'm constantly in touch with my team throughout the shift to understand performance levels.
I'm yet to role the process out to the engineers in my team because I'm yet to feel I've buttoned things down with my manager directs, and the engineers are more task focus which is organised currently through a stand-up meet
To complicate matters further my organisation has developed a monthly dashboard for personal performance for my level and my directs with the frequency set at monthly
I suppose my questions are many!
- Is my frequency of O3's a barrier to achieve the returns I read and here about?
- what things should I cover off in O3's which are not covered in regular 'during shift' up-dates? should I back-off from my regular performance up-dates
- Do I incorporate the dashboard review in with my O3's?
- I'm I procrastinating with the engineer O3's?
I'm getting a little unsure which direction I should go but don't want to stop the O3's but just feel they are currently not working as they should and that's probably my implementation/execution of.
All advise would be much appreciated as I'm in a quandary
One on Ones are not about
One on Ones are not about performance - per se. They are about building a relationship with your direct reports. The performance improvements come almost as a side effect, oddly.
Weekly is important. Relationships are built on frequency and quality of interaction. If you cut the frequency in half or worse, you significantly decrease the quality. You can't make it up by trying to cover more material in the O3.
One on Ones aren't specifically project or performance reviews, either. Yes, you can cover that material. But the real goal, strange as it might seem, is to get to know your directs, and have them know you. Family, interests, work style, strengths and weaknesses, concerns and enthusiasms, and yes, how things are going at work. This is where you coach on new skills, and delegate new responsibilities.
Rather than focusing on the performance metrics, you could find out more about what's behind the numbers. How things are going, what they think could be done to improve, why they think things might not have gone as well as they like. There are review meetings for the metrics already, right?
If the engineers report to you, you should be doing one on ones with them. (I manage software engineers - even the task oriented ones appreciate the 30 minutes each week, even the ones who were initially skeptical!).
I recommend re-listening to the original O3 podcasts from July 2005 (http://www.manager-tools.com/2005/07/the-single-most-effective-manageme…) as a refresher (I always hear something new when I listen again).
It seems you're pretty "buttoned down" yourself and may not be comfortable with the loosely structured nature of the O3. Once you embrace the relationship building nature of the meeting, you'll begin to see some amazing things. Really.
John Hack
Relationship building
John
thanks, this straightens out some of my thoughts around the 03's.
However I've been using them to provide structure as this might be a cliche but I do have good relationships with all my directs (know all spouses, children, pets names, hobbies and interests etc). I would go as far to say that relationship building would be one of my strongest management skills. I would be a high I in DISC
I'm concern though that their with be mounting meeting commitments which will devalue other including 03's
I don't want increased meetings, and less task completion.