Dec 13, 2022
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How to Run More Meaningful 1:1 Meetings
As a manager, 1:1 meetings are the most important meetings on your calendar. Whether you’re a brand new manager or an experienced executive, this guide offers advice, structure, and lessons from leadership experts on how to run effective, meaningful 1:1 conversations.
Question #1: What's the purpose of a 1:1 meeting?
This popular article from 2016 focuses on embracing the awkwardness of 1:1s: If you’re not diving into uncomfortable topics sometimes, you’re missing opportunities for real growth.
Kim Scott, a former Apple and Google exec, is the author of the bestselling book Radical Candor. This post is adapted from a chapter of that book, and it outlines her approach to planning and managing 1:1 meetings.
Lessons from a manager's perspective. The main point here: 1:1 meetings aren't all about projects or performance metrics - it's about the people.
John Foster, a former chief Human Resources officer at Hulu and IDEO, on how to conduct valuable 1:1s. In this article, he breaks down a concept called “the management paradox”, on how to be compassionate and demanding at the same time.
Rose Day highlights how 1:1 meetings can also inspire new ideas: "I am an engineer and data scientist, so when these types of conversations start, they typically spark new ideas and concepts that can be added to the backlog."
Question #2: How long should your 1:1 meeting be?
Laura Vanderkam argues for short, focused check ins: "Sometimes a focused conversation, even a short one, can be the key to feeling more connected and engaged, at a time when it’s very hard to feel either."
On the other side of the argument, Don Neufeld says 1:1 meetings should be longer, to allow for context switching and avoid mental exhaustion.
Question #3: What's the agenda?
Here's a useful tool for kick off a 1:1 in a thoughtful way, plus a helpful Google doc template you can use for your own meetings.
Another tactic for beginning a 1:1 meeting: ask "What's top of mind?". According to advisor and executive coach Maryam Taheri, it's a great way to cut to the most pressing, urgent, or emotionally-charged tasks.
William Anderson writes about considerations for virtual meetings, and how to make them meaningful without the in-person connection.
A unique approach to 1:1 meetings, based on the "Inner Game" concept of coaching: "The big idea is that everyone can be their own coach, because everyone is an expert on themselves. Instead of an advisor, we need a thinking partner to help pull those insights out."
