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I am a new manager, three months, and recently found the Manager Tools website and podcasts. I have only listened to the one on one podcast (three parts). 

Over the past three months I have been doing one on one's with my six direct reports. Some weekly and some every other week, I let them decide. We work in a corporate setting and about a month ago I started offering a "walking" update and everyone accepted and seems to genuinely prefer walking during our update over sitting in a meeting room or at my desk.

Does any one else do walking one on one's? I would like to hear what other people's thoughts are on this. Is this an effective way of conducting one on one's?

 

 

tlhausmann's picture
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How do you go about documenting the conversation?

The two-part cast http://www.manager-tools.com/2012/10/effective-documentation-part-1 make very clear the value of taking notes (documentation) from the O3 meetings.

supp's picture

It is interesting you bring that up. I just listened to that cast last night. Up to this point I take notes at my desk right after the meeting. According to the cast that is roughly equivalent to typing notes during a meeting.

tlhausmann's picture
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Glad you listened to the casts supp.

If your goal is to provide a "more relaxed" O3 meeting while continuing to build the relationship...consider (as examples) having the O3 over coffee or outdoors at a picnic table. Essentially, anyplace that remains reasonably private yet effectively breaks up the staid venue of your office.

I have often held O3 meetings in campus coffee shops, off-campus coffee shops within walking distance, or on benches overlooking the campus mall on nicer days.  This worked well for a number of reasons...the first of which is that I drink a lot of coffee! 

You can still have walking time as you and your direct work your way to the meeting location, and, during the walking time you can listen to how things are going for them during their 10 minutes.

svibanez's picture

My normal O3s are over the phone as my direct works remotely.  I'm the one who travels so we always meet at a coffee shop near his home office.

It's a good way to maintain a relaxed atmosphere and keep it fairly private while enjoying a really good cup of coffee.  I always bring my notebook so it is easy to take notes during the talk.

I look forward to the times we get to meet face-to-face.  They're significantly more effective and productive than the phone O3s!

Steve

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