Getting the most out of your 1 on 1 meetings
1 on 1 meetings are one of the most important meetings for both team members and managers. As a team member, this is a time for which you have the manager’s undivided attention in bringing up topics around you — from concerns to aspirations. As a manager, this is a time for you to be transparent about company news, coach, set expectations, build relationships, but most importantly to listen. This meeting is meant to be a safe space where anything can be discussed.
In this article a few tips and strategies will help you plan your 1:1 meetings so that both the employee and the manager will leave with a better understanding of each other and feeling like something great was just accomplished.
Keep meeting notes and agendas
Without some kind of shared document outlining what was discussed and what is desired to be discussed, 1:1 meetings might become stagnant and seem unnecessary
Critical to any effective one on one meeting is an agenda. This could be as simple as a text document with notes describing goals and follow up action items. For something more comprehensive Trello has a great starter template for 1:1s labeled 1-on-1 Meeting Agenda. This template includes useful columns such as team member topics, manager’s topics, goals and actions. Goals and actions could then be moved to the Done column indicating their completion.
A shared document also has the additional benefit of jotting down ideas both the manager and the employee would like to discuss at the moment they think of it rather than trying to remember once the meeting has started.
Keep the meetings dynamic
Each employee is different. Some may want weekly meetings while others may want bi-weekly. Consider letting the employee set up the meeting invites or at least edit the calendar invites. Newer or junior level employees may want more frequent meetings so that they feel like they are heading in the right direction while more senior employees may want less frequent meetings. As for length, 30 minutes seems to be the standard but cutting it short or extending it might be desirable depending on the conversation. On that same note if the manager and employee agree there is nothing to discuss for a given session don’t be afraid to skip or postpone the meeting. Changing up the meeting location can also be exciting, if the attendees live close enough, meeting up for coffee or lunch might spark a more interesting conversation.
Make a point to talk about non-work interests
Without personal life there would be no work life
If an entire meeting consists of only talking about life that is ok. At the end of the meeting you would have still accomplished the goal of building a strong relationship. As a manager, make a point to ask about how the employee’s family is doing, any new personal interests, etc.
Keep a list of conversation starters
Sometimes these meetings might become awkward, good questions keep the conversation flowing
Good questions should be open ended. Asking a question such as “Are you happy?” Could be answered simply as “yes”, but asking “What part of your job makes you the happiest?” should facilitate a deeper response.
As a manager, encourage feedback
Treat these meetings as an opportunity to grow as a leader
The coaching aspect of these meetings is not just for employees, managers can benefit from the same type of feedback on performance. As a manager always ask the question, “Is there anything I can do to better support you?”. You interact with your direct reports more than anyone else in the company, you may find they have enlightening ideas on how you can improve as a manager.
