Peter Drucker was one of the first to stress the value of regular one-on-one meetings between managers and their direct reports. Andy Grove estimated that ninety minutes of a manager’s time “can enhance the quality of your subordinate’s work for two weeks.” Ahead of the curve, as usual, Andy made one-on-ones mandatory at Intel. The point of the meeting, he wrote, is mutual teaching and exchange of information. By talking about specific problems and situations, the supervisor teaches the subordinate his skills and know-how, and suggests ways to approach things. At the same time, the subordinate
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