How Useless a One-on-One Can Get
I'm not an easy person to life with - nor one to work with. I'm demanding of myself, and in that, most people think that even if I'm not visibly demanding of them, I am, internally, very disappointed in them if they aren't achieving the same levels. That's not the case, and as much as I try to correct that misconception, it persists. Still, I try to be a Team Player - do the jobs that need to be done regardless of how I feel about them. But I have to confess that a useless One-on-One is something I'm about to opt-out of.
I have a manager that believes he's a good manager to all. He's not - at least not to me, but that doesn't factor into his thinking. He wants to get my feedback - which is always the same - this group is split along the lines of those that do, and those that primarily sit around. If I were in the latter group, I'd be happy - but I'm not, and the group I'm in has a population of 1.
What happens is that Management pushes down on me to deliver, and I do my best to meet their expectations. It's hard work because I'm delivering things for many different groups, and so when I look around and see people playing cards at lunch, or arriving at 9:00 am, it's hard not to feel like I'm being taken advantage of.
So I have a one-on-one with a guy that doesn't understand the first thing about what I'm doing. He doesn't even know who I'm working for - what they are asking, when they are asking it, and what those deadlines are. He is my Manager in name only. And yet he wants a one-on-one.
Silly. And I've had enough of silly.