This, of course, is the rub. The value of a one-on-one meeting is subject to the ability of the manager and the direct report to conduct a quality meeting. While that sounds pretty simple, let me ask you a question.
Have you ever been taught how to have a quality one-on-one meeting with your boss or with a direct report?
As learners, we should do everything we can to give ourselves a better chance to change our brains when trying to learn new skills. Learning about neuroplasticity and the best way to encourage that brain state would be a good place to start, and then we can move on with our lifetime of learning.
I suspect this will remain a very niche thing now, though. The issue is the expectation of what the “work day” is. Granted, if you work in a customer-facing position, even a remote job where you have to interact with customers in real-time virtually, it’s unlikely they will be OK with a meeting at a time outside the 9-5.
On the other hand, there are plenty of jobs where those interactions make up part of the day but not all. Why can’t the other part of the day be outside the 9-5 so we can take care of other things during the day? You know, when doctors’ mechanics, banks, and other services are open, or when we want some time outside in the sun?
Time is money, indeed. Increasingly that means that the time spent commuting is being viewed as time employers demand that we aren’t getting paid for, that we could be getting paid for from freelance efforts if we didn’t have to commute.
One of the things I have talked about for years regarding college education is that, by its nature, it will always be behind. Think about it. You start a four-year degree program to learn technology skills. By the time you complete the four years and maybe even an advanced degree, everything you’ve learned is outdated. Technology changes that quickly. You enter a workplace using the next versions of everything you know. A version you don’t know much about because it’s so new that college programs haven’t even started incorporating it yet.
And by “so new,” I’m saying it’s been updated within the last few years.
I’ve also spoken to some in-house trainers who see this up close. People come to them because they lack some knowledge and hope the training will help them because their manager hasn’t given them clear direction. They don’t realize that they haven’t been getting a clear direction. They assume there is some skill or knowledge they are missing. Where do you go when there’s a skill you need? To Training and Development!
But the trainer can’t give you that clear direction about your job. That has to come from your manager.