Not every conversation needs to occur in a conference room. In fact, done well, a hallway conversation can work even better for quickly sharing time sensitive information, flagging a potential issue, or making a simple decision. The key to making a "5 Minute Grab" work is having a very clear purpose and providing only the essential information.
Here's an example of great framing for a 5 minute conversation:
"John, I'd like to talk with you for five minutes to make you aware of a shift in the approach to the product we're developing, and to make sure there are no unforeseen consequences for your team. Do you have time for that right now?"
If in 45 minutes of walking through the office and catching colleagues for 5 minutes each, you can make progress on several of your priorities, imagine how productive your day could be. We recommend making a list of the conversations you need to have each day in order to advance your priorities, and then thinking about which ones can be handled through the "5 Minute Grab" rather than a formal meeting. For colleagues who may not physically be in the same office, you can use Instant Messaging as the "hallway" and employ exactly the same strategy.
This approach is validated by John Kotter, a leading authority on leadership and change. In a paper titled "What Effective General Managers Really Do" he notes: "Of all the patterns visible in daily behavior, perhaps the most difficult to appreciate... is that conversations are [unplanned] and short... On the surface, such behavior seems un-managerial. Yet these patterns are possibly the most important and efficient of all."
- When multiple people need to know the same information. In that case, send an email outlining the essential points. In the subject line, include an action call out such as RESPONSE REQUESTED or TIME SENSITIVE.
- When the issue is complex and requires a meaningful amount of time to determine the solution. In that case, convene a meeting but make sure you have a design for how to manage the conversation
- When you need a decision, but decision rights are unclear. Having a hallway conversation to make the decision is implicitly assigning decision rights to that person. Instead, invite all of the potential decision-makers to a meeting and spend the first 10 minutes determining who gets to make the decision.
Leave us a comment with some of your strategies for how to maximize your time outside of meetings...