Planning my first 'One on Ones'

I have been a manager on a mission for the last 12 months. I was made a company director about 18 months ago, for good reason one hopes. But at the end of last year I started to obsess about delivery, or as our American cousins call it execution (I like that better!).

I know my strengths, more importantly my weaknesses and started to worry about being one of those director/executives who have the title but do not make a a difference. They could be replaced with any faceless white male and nobody would tell the difference. It's as if the primary objective is just to make 'director'.

I am 39 - was 38 - and I want 20 years plus of clear achievement. I want to grow and get better week by week and year by year. So I have been on a journey of discovering becoming an effective manager.

I think I have cracked it. For the last 6 months I have been learning more and implementing something here and piloting something there and I'm really excited about what this will do to my team and my effectiveness.

Next week I start doing o3's. These are one on one sessions with my team members...every week. I'm probably more nervous than they are about this. We talk, yes, but do we communicate effectively? Over the next few months I'll be hyping a website called Manager-Tools. If you want to improve your efficiency and effectiveness as a manager I suggest you visit this website. It's probably the best online rersource for manager tools and learnings - against business, etc.

So next week the first two of my team are starting on this journey with me. I will report back after.

Do these people not understand irony...?

"Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence" - Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam.