When I first started meeting with my research mentor - our meetings would only last a few minutes. I was pretty sure I was not doing as well as I had hoped because clearly we didn't have enough to talk about. . . then I read "The New One Minute Manager" (NOMM) and realized I had it all wrong.
Spending more time to get to the same point - doesn't make the point any different. In my case -- I was actually doing everything my mentor expected and he had no concerns -- short, sweet, to the point meetings.
I tend to be a chatty person - but that is not what my mentors or mentees need most of the time. Nor is it a good use of time (life-work balance!!) when I have so many other commitments (patient care, sleeping, manuscripts, reviewing articles, eating...etc, etc, etc). NOMM changed my view of feedback!
There are three basic phases:
Set goals
Give praise
Give a redirect
All in one minute!!
Set goals: Can sometimes be tricky and a bit time consuming at first (but totally worth it). These are shared expectations - clearly outlined and understood by both parties.
Give praise: Spend time monitoring your mentee/resident/fellow/junior faculty and pointing out to them the things they are doing great.
~Some extra points I think are worthwhile:
Be as specific as possible - not just "Great job today, buddy"
When working with a group of people, be aware of not over praising one specific person (even if they are amazing)
Redirect: Focus on the task that needs improving upon, not the person - aka) the person and the problem are separate entities.
Cheers!! Feel free to share how NOMM has helped/hurt your management style.