For senior leaders with multiple management layers and large teams (typically more then 100 people), office hours are a great mechanism to meet and connect with people on a regular basis.
Senior leaders can use office hours to receive feedback from the ground, to reaffirm the organisational vision, to provide directional guidance and to address outstanding concerns. Office hours are also an effective forum for junior members in an organisation to have face time with senior leaders.
There are two different mechanisms to set up office hours, in a group setting or in a 1:1 setting. In both mechanisms, cadences can vary from once a month to once a quarter. It is recommended that the cadence not drop to below once a quarter.
Office hours in a group setting involve inviting all relevant attendees to a group session, optionally providing a short update on key items and embarking on an open question/answer session.
Group office hours are best done with groups that have a common background or common purpose, for example with all middle managers, and when there is a common agenda to be discussed.
Group office hours have the downside of not being suitable for deeper conversations or allowing for sensitive conversations that require a 1:1 setting.
Office hours in a 1:1 setting is similar to that of a group setting in that all relevant attendees are invited, but it is different in that each attendee selects a private 1:1 slot. The slots are typically 15-30 minutes in length, and through the use of modern calendaring facilities (such as Google Calendar), much of the setup can be automated.
The agenda of the 1:1 slot can be driven by the leader or can be driven by the attendee. To facilitate a good discussion, a leader can set an open ended agenda, for example:
What’s going well?
What can be improved?
How can I help?
The agenda above will help attendees prepare their questions in advance, and this can lead to very productive conversations.
The office hour 1:1 shares similar dynamics to a regular 1:1 and the same guidance around conducting effective 1:1’s apply.
Leaders should be ready to answer difficult questions, and it doesn’t hurt to prep before hand with common questions that may be asked.