Luis Moquete’s Post

After I published my article on How To Run Effective 1:1 Meetings, I received multiple messages asking interesting questions or directly disagreeing, with the 1:1s framework I’ve proposed. To heat the discussion even more, recently there has been a trend in social media suggesting ditching 1:1 meetings altogether. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for anything and 1:1s are no exception. So I’ve decided to summarise the most frequent and interesting questions. ❓ Nvidia CEO does not schedule 1:1s, so why should I? ❓ Well, because you are not Nvidia CEO, my friend. CEOs work with extremely experienced and senior people. Their direct reports don’t need regular coaching, personal growth support or help to remove the blockers. But if you are not (yet) a CEO, continue reading. ❓ Do I have to run 1:1 meetings every week? That’s a lot of work! ❓ As a principle, I suggest you schedule weekly 1:1s with your teams. There are however some situations when bi-weekly should be ok. If you are managing a high-seniority team and you have a good relationship and communicate well, it’s ok to do bi-weekly meetings. It also depends on the setup of your team. If you work on-site, you probably have many small daily interactions. But if you work remotely those interactions are heavily limited. Hence, if you work remotely, it’s better to stick to the weekly schedule. ❓ I have many reports. Do I have to meet with all of them? ❓ If you have so many reports, just switch to a bi-weekly schedule and consider a better team setup in the long run. You can also try a hybrid approach and meet with more experienced people bi-weekly while spending more time with less experienced reports, who need more guidance. ❓ How do I find topics to talk about in those meetings? ❓ You just ask :) The key aspect of good 1:1 meetings is that you are not the main person contributing topics to the agenda. Ask your reports to do that. They may struggle at the beginning, so help them and propose some topics yourself as an example. ❓ How can I make 1:1 meetings more engaging? ❓ There is no single solution to the lack of engagement in the meetings. But some things help. Ask for contributions to the agenda. Follow up on action points. Create some personal connection and listen actively. ❓ Where should I keep the meeting notes? ❓ Don’t overcomplicate this. Create a shared document for each of your direct reports and link it to the meeting invitation. And if you like to know more about running effective 1:1 meetings or read more Manager Stories, check my blog. https://lnkd.in/dNA9sdn4

Exploring the Team Dynamics of IT Services Employees Are you curious about the team dynamics of IT services employees? Let's dive into this intriguing aspect of the industry! In today's fast-paced digital world, IT services play a crucial role in keeping organizations running smoothly. But have you ever wondered what makes their teams tick? Let's shed some light on the dynamics that shape their collaborative work environment. 1. Collaboration is Key: IT services teams thrive on collaboration. It's all about leveraging each team member's unique skills and expertise to deliver exceptional results. From brainstorming sessions to problem-solving meetings, these professionals work together to find innovative solutions for their clients. 2. A Diverse Skill Set: IT services employees come from diverse backgrounds, bringing a wide range of skills and knowledge to the table. From software engineers to cybersecurity experts, their combined expertise allows them to tackle complex challenges head-on. This diversity helps foster creativity and ensures a well-rounded approach to problem-solving. 3. Continuous Learning: The IT industry is constantly evolving, and IT services employees understand the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends. Continuous learning is ingrained in their team dynamics, with regular training sessions, workshops, and knowledge-sharing practices. This commitment to knowledge empowers them to deliver cutting-edge solutions to their clients. 4. Effective Communication: Clear and effective communication is vital in any team, and IT services employees recognize its significance. They utilize various communication channels, such as emails, collaboration tools, and video conferences, to ensure seamless information exchange. This effective communication allows them to align their efforts, meet project deadlines, and exceed client expectations. 5. Supportive Environment: IT services teams thrive in a supportive work environment that encourages open communication, feedback, and collaboration. This fosters a sense of belonging, boosts morale, and ultimately leads to higher productivity and job satisfaction. Remember, understanding the team dynamics of IT service employees is crucial for organizations looking to build high-performing teams and deliver exceptional results. By embracing collaboration, diversity, continuous learning, effective communication, and a supportive environment, these professionals can unleash their full potential. #ITServices #TeamDynamics #Collaboration #ContinuousLearning #EffectiveCommunication #SupportiveEnvironment #TechIndustry #DigitalTransformation Feel free to share your experiences and insights in the comments below!

Elon Musk's 5 productivity rules: 'Get rid of frequent meetings' and 5 other points 1.) Avoid large meetings “Excessive meetings are the blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time. Please get (out) of all large meetings, unless you’re certain they are providing value to the whole audience, in which case keep them very short.” 2.) Get rid of frequent meetings “Also get rid of frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with an extremely urgent matter. Meeting frequency should drop rapidly once the urgent matter is resolved.” 3.) Walk out of meetings and calls if you are not adding value "Walk out of a meeting or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren’t adding value. It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time." 4.) Don't use jargon “Don’t use acronyms or nonsense words for objects, software or processes at Tesla. In general, anything that requires an explanation inhibits communication. We don’t want people to have to memorize a glossary just to function at Tesla.” 5.) Communicate directly “Communication should travel via the shortest path necessary to get the job done, not through the ‘chain of command’. Any manager who attempts to enforce chain of command communication will soon find themselves working elsewhere. “A major source of issues is poor communication between depts. The way to solve this is allow free flow of information between all levels. If, in order to get something done between depts, an individual contributor has to talk to their manager, who talks to a director, who talks to a VP, who talks to another VP, who talks to a director, who talks to a manager, who talks to someone doing the actual work, then super dumb things will happen. It must be ok for people to talk directly and just make the right thing happen.” 6.) Follow logic, not rules “In general, always pick common sense as your guide. If following a ‘company rule’ is obviously ridiculous in a particular situation, such that it would make for a great Dilbert cartoon, then the rule should change.”

Let's talk about the dreaded M-word: #Meetings! 🕒😱 Did you know that even Steve Jobs recognized them as time-sucking monsters? In a historic memo from his time at Next, he identified meetings as the ultimate #productivity killers. 🚫⏰ According to Jobs, talented individuals get held back when they spend excessive time convincing large organizations about what they already know is right. Instead of focusing on their expertise, they end up wasting precious hours instructing others to do tasks they could've done much better themselves. 🗣️💼 But fear not, there are solutions! Jobs proposed that we all need uninterrupted solo work time. Imagine engineers having a whole day without meetings! He believed that Thursdays were perfect for this productivity paradise. 💡💪 Tech entrepreneurs have also taken radical approaches to tackle the meeting madness. Tesla's Elon Musk granted employees the power to exit a meeting instantly if it became irrelevant to them. And Amazon's Jeff Bezos insisted on narratively written memos for important conferences, often spanning six pages! 📝🏢 Now, here's a fresh idea from coaches Gesine Engelage-Meyer and Sonja Hanau: the 5-Finger Template. 🖐️✨ It's a simple way to structure your next meeting using five key categories. The goal? Meaningful results and effective #collaboration. With this template, you can reduce meeting duration and quantity while skyrocketing the quality of outcomes. More fun and success await! 🤝🎉 Click the link below to discover how the 5-Finger Template works and bid farewell to terrible meetings once and for all. Let's make work fun again! 💥💼 https://ow.ly/7mX350Q0U8k #MeetingsMatter #SteveJobsWisdom #ProductivityHacks #RadicalApproach #5FingerTemplate #CollaborationGoals #WorkplaceFun #EmojiPower

Not fully in agreement, but substantially so. The part about not reporting to superiors and avoid following rules but only principles, well this is something I strongly feel in disagreement. Either we assume that superiors are places in their positions without merit and that all rules are meaningless and should be interpreted (both situations describing highly disfunctional environments where productivity is the last issue) or we work under the principles that people and rules have roles and therefore those must be respected. Speed is essential but is not the only thing. Order is there to provide structure without destroying the machine when it runs. This does not mean that superiors should not be held accountable table or rules should not be questioned. A healthy organization should be continuously questioning its people and its rules in order to optimize performance (spoiler: happiness of employees is highly correlated with performance!). However without hierarchy and rules no organization can survive on the long term

Amen. I would add one more- meetings without a clear agenda are a total waste of time. Before you invite someone to the meeting, ask yourself what value you expect this person to bring to this meeting. Post the agenda and questions/expected actions decisions at least a day before the meeting. Follow up the meeting with a short summary/minutes of the meeting - what was discussed, what decisions were taken, next steps/actions, who will take them and when... The only exceptions should be social catch-ups organised from time to time purely to socialise, have fun, build the team connection.

These 6 rules are efficient and productive at work also out of work.

This is so valuable! The key to productivity is fast decision making and it can happen without unnecessary meetings. But that happens only when we have the courage to fail.

Some takeaways for this year

Large meetings without explicit agenda and clear purpose are always toxic! (or best case waste of everyone's time) I would say run for the hills, if you see one, but it is not that simple, because.... You are damned if you attend and doomed if you don't attend. This is a hallmark sign of toxicity :) They always benefit a few and disempower many! How about being intentional and transparent with meeting objectives?