Rands' point is that its not a status meeting. That's what project managers are for. The 1:1 is supposed to be preventive maintenance of a team - a chance for you (the managed) to express yourself about any small things that are getting in your way or upsetting you before these things come to a head and create large problems for your overall happiness, the happiness of the team and the project, and your career.
> a chance for you (the managed) to express yourself
As it is I'll walk into my manager's office whenever I feel like it and literally tell him he's "being a shithead" about something. Don't see the point of him wasting a half hour of my time a week.
That's you. But for many people, that style of interaction just doesn't mesh with their personality. Some people are more meek, and won't tell you about an issue until you ask them straight out "what's up?" in a setting where they know that's their time to speak up. If you don't have a scheduled recurring 1:1 with those people, they won't schedule a time to meet with you. Until they schedule a "here's my 2 weeks notice" meeting with you.
Most 1:1s shouldn't be meetings. Think of them as 'bonding' time. This is where you get a pulse of each other. In the manager's case, find out whether your report is happy or on the verge of burning out.
One recommendation I would do is to not do the 1:1 in a typical office setting. Some of the most effective managers I know do it outside - from the cafeteria to a nearby restaurant. A friend of mine had a great manager who did 1:1s while doing joint grocery shopping for the Friday evening team meeting/casual get-together thing.
If we're not boozing and cracking jokes it's a "meeting", and I've got better things to do.
> where you get a pulse of each other ... find out whether your report is happy
Mature adults want a business relationship at work, not a psychotherapist. Everybody does their job and gets paid, the end.
This whole idea sounds like those "Please rate our service" surveys you get from businesses. I'll rate your service with my wallet, thanks. If you can't figure out how to make sure things are running smoothly that's your failure, and I'm positive survey results won't help. It really shouldn't be that hard.
Really, if a manager can't see what's what with who just from the day-to-day, then I assure you the place is screwed up and some stupid weekly meeting will be useless.
I'm glad rubashov posted this. It reinforces the point that you really need to understand the people who work for you.
One of the developers currently working for me needs multiple one-on-ones per week. She needs frequent feedback on her performance. I've had other developers working for me who bristled at the thought of scheduled and structured one-on-ones. With them I'll casually stop by to chat for a couple of minutes from time to time, but I won't schedule anything except when performance reviews are due.
I do find that most developers respond well to weekly or bi-weekly short one-on-ones, however.
