We were used to one-on-ones between manager and managed in our past history. And we tried to reproduce this format in BestBrains, until it appeared to us, that the format wasn't really appropriate in a net-working  structure like ours, where titles doesn't really denote any superiority to others, and most - if not all - work is either invoice able or done voluntarily.

At the same time we had to deal with the challenge of being away from office a lot, so some of us would have very little daily interaction.

To overcome these problems, and still be able to maintain a fresh relationship where problems are raised early, and  give support to each others personal- and professional development,  we invented the notion of a peer-meeting. It serves as a means to get to know each other better, to coach us towards our goals and to offer feedback to peers.

We do it this way: Each month each of us are supposed to meet with one colleague for a couple of hours. We often do it with lunch in between.  Some of the meetings are held walking, I remember a particular one, where we spent an hour walking and talking in Free Town Christiania, which is just besides our offices, but where I rarely set my foot. In other meetings we have been exploring the Cafe's of Copenhagen e.g  Danish Design Center or in Glyptoteket. And one time this summer we were sitting in the cozy café Bådudlejningen at Christianshavns Canal watching tourist boats and kayaks pass by while talking about goals and ideas.

To assist the process we have created a template to structure the meeting and the preparation. In its newest version it looks like this:

Before the meeting:                          

Consider in relation to your meeting partner: What is he (sorry, but we currently are all men - looking for women to apply for a job) doing really good? Think or one or more goals and/or challenges you could offer to your conversation-partner.

Consider in relation to yourself: What do you find difficult and would like to do better? What do you thing you are really good at, and how could you share it with others?

In the meeting:

Take turns where each of you spend 45 minutes going over the items from the list, where one is mostly listening  and the other talking. Change roles.

We have been doing a couple of rounds so far and are all pleased with it. I personally think it has been a great aid in creating a strong relationship between us, that otherwise can be difficult when  where there is no formal hierarchy and economic dependencies.

By Bent Jensen