The Simple Shift That Gave Me 4-6 Hours Back Every Week
Apr 24, 2024As a leader, do you feel like you spend more time in meetings than actually getting work done?
You're not alone.
The good news is that I was in the same spot you were in years ago, and I made a single shift that cleaned up my schedule, increased team performance and satisfaction, and put 4 to 6 hours back in my calendar each week.
In today's journey, I'll unpack the idea of moving away from weekly 1:1s with direct reports towards quarterly 1:1s instead.
Let's jump in.
The Problem With the Weekly 1:1 Structure
Problem #1 - Time.
It's pretty simple, really. If you have 5 direct reports – that's 5 1:1s. If they have 5 direct reports each, that's 25 more 1:1s.
That's 5 hours of your week gone.
That's 60 hours of your team's week gone.
The deeper your hierarchy, the more exponential this issue becomes.
No wonder you work too much or struggle to find time to get everything done each week.
Problem #2 - Wages.
Not only does your calendar suffer, but so does your bottom line.
Let's assume the average hourly rate of your entire team is $34/hr.
At 65 hours a week in 1:1s, you are spending $2,120 per week, or $114,920 per year ... in ... 1:1 meetings. Barf.
Problem #3 - Opportunities.
I won't belabor this point.
But what opportunities are you forced to say "no" to because your team is spending 65 hours a week (3,380 hours a year) in 1:1 meetings?
Reclaiming focus time for you and your team needs to be a priority.
The Move From Weekly to Quarterly 1:1's
Years ago I made the conscious decision to massively cut down on the frequency of my 1:1 meetings with my teams.
I moved from separate weekly 1:1 meetings with each team member to:
- a weekly Leadership Team Meeting,
- and a Quarterly Check-in.
In next week's edition of The Weekly Journey, I'll tackle everything related to the weekly Leadership Team Meeting.
For our purposes today, let's talk about the Quarterly Check-in.
These longer but less frequent touchpoints have allowed us to explore the core benefits of the standard 1:1 meeting even more while eliminating the tension in our calendars and the constant context-switching that comes with it.
Here is how I structure these 90-minute off-site meetings:
- Focus on their life, family, interests, etc. (15m)
- Cultural Alignment (5m) - How do they align with the company's core values?
- Job Competency (5m) - Are they crushing their 5 key job functions?
- Quarterly Objectives (5m) - Are they getting their assigned OKRs across the finish line?
- Constructive Feedback & 2-Way Dialogue (50m) - Discuss the assessments of Culture, Competency, and Objectives with them openly and help determine how they can win.
- Next Steps Action Plan (10m)
Instead of sandbagging your team with annual reviews, you can chip away at their improvement on a quarterly basis in a non-HR technical way.
This allows you to coach your team, helping them accomplish company objectives and get where they want to go.
- You Win by getting time back on your calendar and getting more out of your team.
- They Win by getting more feedback in shorter intervals, driving faster improvement.
- The Company Wins by getting more done in less time with happier people.
It's a simple shift, but the productivity gains are massive.
If you're feeling the same meeting strain and struggle to find time for your priorities, I'd encourage you to experiment with adjusting the cadence of your 1:1s.
You may be surprised by how much time you can reclaim.
Here's a Template to Help You Get Started
To help you get started, here is a free Quarterly Check-in Template I use with my clients to help make this process easier for you.
This template is one of the tools I use with my clients in Journey OS.
It's simple, easy to use, and includes a guide on how to implement a quarterly check-in structure.
Put it to use and watch this new structure change your company dynamic.
And hey, maybe you'll get in that golf game you've been missing out on with all your newfound free time.
I hope you'll give it a try!
More for your journey next week.
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