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1-on-1 meeting questions

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Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#251

Post by abvr »

admax88q wrote: post #202
cameronbrown wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm not sure what kind of company you work for, but 6 months of training is ridiculously long, unless there is a lot of institutional knowledge that's siloed amongst a small subset of employees - which should never happen in the first place, if your manager was any good. At Google there's an expectation that you won't be 'productive' for 6 months after joining, though that's not surprising considering how different…

That really means 6 months till you are completely ramped up, at full productivity. If you are actually not productive, not producing anything of value, for 6 months...

How are these things actually measured or scaled?

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#252

Post by gambiting »

bosie wrote: post #246
gambiting wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At our company, your performance is evaluated in 5 metrics, with a grade for each. Those grades affect your salary during review. So even if all you care about is just doing your work and being paid well for it, then it would make sense to ask your manager "hey, what do you want me to do to achieve max score in all 5 categories". Then you do the things they tell you to do - it's no different than any other work task…

Mind sharing those 5 metrics?

Achieve Consistently, Collaborate Constructively, Challenge Yourself, Leadership Mindset and finally Job Expertise.

All of these apply to everyone, it's just that different levels have different expectations(so for example a Junior is still expected to perform well in "leadership mindset", but for them it's enough to demonstrate willingness to discuss and negotiate ideas, convince others to their plans etc, they don't need to be a manager to have a leadership mindset).

They do have pretty formal definitions for each level and for each job title - so by telling people what is expected of them at each level it's easier to then do the final peer review at the end of the year(and no one is surprised at their score).

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#253

Post by joncrane »

WrtCdEvrydy wrote: post #213
joncrane wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have fantasized about draping a thick black curtain around my workstation to try to focus. Do you think that would fly?

We had a guy who used his lifted desk to build a little box for himself (out of carboard)

How did the management feel about this?

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#254

Post by learnstats2 »

"Are there any obstacles I can remove for you?" is a poor first question.

If you (as a manager) haven't spent time figuring that out before the meeting, then you haven't done your share of the work. You'll be wasting your staff's time and energy in awkward 1-1 meetings.

"How is it going with [obstacle that has already been identified]?" is what I would expect a vaguely competent manager to say in place of this.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#255

Post by kovacs_x »

imo 'development discussions' is wrong as it creates apparent power hierarchy in the company and very often does more harm then good.

having a mentor and doing regular self reflection is the way to go.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#256

Post by suls »

skizm wrote: post #84
hnrodey wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

tbh (without knowing anything else about you, maybe caught you at a bad moment) this attitude is going to stunt your career development and growth more than you can possibly imagine. Are you wrong with any of this? Not at all. But letting it drip over in to impacting the quality of your relationships is detrimental to yourself and everyone around you. It's also disrespecting the contributions you make to the team, pr…

Not a bad moment (I don't think at least), and it is good advice to remind myself not to let it affect others around me, but I really do not care about my work, my co-workers, my company, or my career growth. That said, I do all my work on time, with above average quality (I'm pretty sure), communicate well, make sure I am never a blocker, and work to help others who are struggling (we're all stuck here together afte…

Have you ever come across The Gervais Principle? https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-...

I first saw it here a couple of months ago. I am sure you will be able to relate to it ;)

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#257

Post by mnsc »

KKKKkkkk1 wrote: post #225
inerte wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, don't stay away. That's not how these things happen, anyway. You don't start a relationship exploring anyone's childhood and family issues, you start by asking: "So how was our weekend?" And then if people, and most of them do, say things like "oh cool I took my son to the park / watch the game" or "my parents are in town", then what you do next week is ask: "So, how's your son?" And if they start talking, and mo…

> But let me tell you as a manager who had dozens of reports over the years, I never met a single person who has refused to talk about their spouses, children, or hobbies. How often do your subordinates say "no" to you in general?

"So how's the wife?"

"I don't want to talk about that"

"Subordinate! You will do as you are told. How. Is. The. Wife"

"She's struggling with depression right now".

"Glorious! Tell me more. Does she not eat?"

"No, she has lost her appetite and have trouble getting out of bed"

"I FEED ON THIS INFORMATION! I presume you don't have sex then. How. Does. This. Make. You. Feeeeeeel. Screeeching"

Yup, you need to get a new job.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#258

Post by samdoidge »

dehrmann wrote: post #81
koonsolo wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a strange, helpless way to look at the world. Employment is not a boss->servant relationship, it's a relationship where both parties gain something. You offer a service, and they pay for that. End of story. They act out? Then you find someone else who needs your services. As a programmer myself, I'm in this great position where there is a shortage of good developers, and plenty of companies searching for good de…

> You offer a service, and they pay for that. No, the company pays for that. A manager's job is to help ICs be effective and to help the company make the most of ICs' work. My first manager told me something really good: don't look at it as a boss telling people what to do. ICs manage code, the manager manages people.

IC = ?

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#259

Post by admax88q »

abvr wrote: post #251
admax88q wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That really means 6 months till you are completely ramped up, at full productivity. If you are actually not productive, not producing anything of value, for 6 months...

How are these things actually measured or scaled?

Likely its all relative to your co-workers and your managers experience with the employees who have come before you.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#260

Post by tikiman163 »

RotaryTelephone wrote: post #63

My 1on1's at a 100k+ international corporation always went like this: Manager: so how's it going? Me: great Manager: any issues? anything you want to discuss? Me: everything is fantastic! I'm very happy with my job :D Manager: cool cool... well let's do this again next month. Me: yay! I don't want someone in a similar situation like I was to get inspired by lists like these and go into their next 1on1 wrecking havoc…

Did you even read those 1 0n 1 questions? They couldn't be used to identify under performers, they're "geared" towards ensuring your manager is being helpful and that you have what you need.

I habitually complain in my 1 on 1s because it gets me what I need. Nobody has ever given me a hard time, and while doing this I went from just another cog, to irreplaceable and pivotal to the companies strategy. I've also been promoted twice in a year while doing this.

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