4/4/2013–It’s better than I remember it. A ton of people have approached me to set up O3s.
JD made me put up an O3 calendar in the office so the other manager could see when they were going to have to cover me for 1/2 an hour. It’s a great idea, if only for the fact that it brings everyone in on it. With 40 FOH employees I need all the help I can get. At 40 employees, working 5 days a week, I would have to do 8/day to do one with each person every week. Even 4/day–so one every 2 weeks–would be impossible. The nature of shift work doesn’t allow me to meet with people for 2 hours/day and still make sure guests are happy and sales are growing.
But that makes an interesting situation. If O3s are effective, the nature of my job shouldn’t bar me from doing them. I need to move around other aspects of my day to allow O3s.
I can’t be the guy who says, “I don’t have a sink, so I just won’t brush my teeth.” I have to adapt to my environment to do whatever is effective.
That may mean asking Chase to do O3s with me, paying employees to come in early/late for O3s, or giving silverware passes/alternative benefits. After rolling out O3s twice, I’ve learned they must be scheduled. If cancelled, they MUST be rescheduled immediately. Otherwise, it will be a month between biweekly O3s. I’ve also learned that 30 minutes is the best amount of time to schedule. For one, it’s easy to remember; two, it makes it likely that many O3s will end early–a nice treat for any meeting.
When first rolling out O3s, it is wayyyy more effective to tell everybody at once when they’re together. Let them all ask their questions while everyone can hear each answer. I also think it’s better to let them come to you at the beginning to schedule them. It lets you know who is assertive (a strength). It also makes practicing better, i.e. I’d rather learn how to do O3s with people who’ve come to me eagerly. They’ll receive them better.
I got a 660 on the GMAT. I think it’s an ok score for the schools I’m looking at. The next step is updating my resume.
QOTW: “Managers shouldn’t be friends with employees because it’s harder to have those difficult conversations.” – -Nick, MIT
?FNW: Will the “partnership” be fruitful?
10/24/2017 review: Nothing to add here; one on ones (with a specifically-designed form) were the best tool I used as a manager, rolling them out this way is the way to go (everyone at once), and flexing to achieve the purpose based on your environment can take many forms. I can’t think of a harder employee group to attempt to schedule for one on ones than a restaurant of 40 hosts, bartenders, and servers!