Let’s Have a 1-on-1 About 1-on-1 Manager Meetings
Whether you’ve just been promoted to manager or you have been a manager for years you know… being a manager is hard! You have to wear two hats at all times; you have to do your job and enable other peoples to do theirs. While you got where you are by doing your job incredibly well, no one teaches you how to be a manager until you are one. Not to worry though, Fellow is here to help you tackle all of your questions and guide you, whether you are new to the game or simply looking for new techniques. Let’s start with the one-on-one weekly meeting.
The 1-on-1
Ben Horowitz CEO and author of bestselling book The Hard Thing About Hard Things says “This is the free-form meeting for all the pressing issues, brilliant ideas, and chronic frustrations that do not fit neatly into status reports, email, and other less personal and intimate mechanisms.” In the day to day functions of business it can be hard to maintain the open channels of communication that make sure teams are working effectively and efficiently so scheduling a regular meeting with each employee ensures that you and your employees are on the same page and working together to make the organization the best it can be. So you’ve scheduled a meeting… now what? How do you make sure that your meeting is productive?
Have the BEST 1-on-1
1. The most important thing to remember about 1-on-1 meetings is that they are for the employees! While you will also benefit from getting some one on one time, this meeting is about offering your time to employees to allow them a direct connection to their boss. This means that while you may structure and guide the meeting the employee should be doing more than 50% of the talking. When you start to take up too much of this valuable meeting time they may feel unappreciated.
Since this meeting is all about the employees we asked entry level employees what they loved and hated about one on one meetings with their managers. The following suggestions are guided by the results of this survey to ensure that you are holding one on one meetings that are truly all about the employee.
2. While you may schedule the meeting, allow the employee space to share their concerns, ask questions and express their needs from you and the organization. It may not be very often that they get the undivided attention of their manager so this time is important to them. By giving them space to share you are showing them that they are valued at this company and that you appreciate the work that they do. This is also an opportunity for you to learn how you can make their work environment, and the company as a whole, better. Also, great innovative ideas don’t always come from above — invest in your employees and they will invest in your company.
3. Provide feedback! Employees only get better when they know what they are doing well and what they can improve on. It is important to be constructive when giving negative feedback. This means that instead of just explaining what they are doing wrong, show them how they can do better. On this note, it is also important to point out what an employee is doing well. Not only does this show them that you appreciate their work but shows them what they should continue doing and gives them the confidence to work on their areas of weakness. Fellows feedback tool allows you to continually give feedback so you can talk about it in your 1-on-1.
4. After both you and the employee have time to share, you need to come up with a plan. Without a plan all of that talking isn’t actionable and will likely be forgotten. If there were things that the employee mentioned could be improved determine how you will work to make those things better. Based on the feedback given determine new goals and timelines for the employee to help keep them on track. You can use Fellow’s 1-on-1 tool to help with this. This tool allows you both to stay informed on the plan and the employees progress.
5. Finally, those actionable items you put in your plan may not be completed if you don’t follow up with the employee. There may be unforeseen hiccups in the plan that you could smooth out with a simple follow up, however without a brief check in the actionable item may not get done. Also, having a consequence, even something as minor as having someone ask about your progress, provides motivation for the employee to stick to the plan. And the check in reminds the employee that you value them not only during one-on ones but all the time. Use the Slack feature integrated into Fellow to get a quick update or set a time to meet.
One-on-one’s can be time consuming, but we make time for the things that we value and every successful business values its employees. Putting time into making sure you are having a productive 1-on-1 ensures that you are doing your best for your employees and your company. Don’t forget that these meetings are all about the employees! In our survey to employees 80% responded that what made their best one-on-one the best was that the manager followed up with them after the meeting to check in on the things they discussed in the meeting. This shows that the employee, and their concerns and well-being, are important not only during the one-on-one but all the time.
These guidelines will help you have a productive one-on-one and by combining that meeting with your co-pilot, Fellow, you can keep track of all your employees and ensure that you are giving them the support they need so you can grow the best team.
