I’ve Learned A Lot Through 1:1s As A Manager
And here are the tips to have them and build your team culture
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For every training, podcast, or article you can get on the internet today on people management, you will have points towards 1:1 meetings as one of the most important resources you have available for being a good manager.
But how can 1:1s help you out? How do they influence your team? And how effective are they?
I will cover in a few steps what I have done and what I have learned to help you have meaningful and effective 1:1s with your team, improve its culture, and foster good habits.
Have a 1:1 routine
Having 1:1s regularly is one of the most effective ways to get to know your team members, create and maintain a good relationship with them, understand their reasonings, motivations, and problems, identify blockers and work on behavior and culture.
A good way to start is by scheduling biweekly 1:1s with each one of your team members.
This guarantees that, for a team of up to 10 members, you have one 1:1 meeting per day, and as a general rule, biweekly meetings help you feel the general climate of your team, the evolution of ongoing topics and keep a good (but unforced) professional relationship.
In specific cases, you may increase the occurrences of 1:1s with your team members, for example, to follow up on some project or ongoing activity they need more support, or to improve the relationship with a specific team member.
1:1s are not about managers or project status, they are about people.
Having a strict and regular 1:1 schedule is fantastic, but as a manager, you have to constantly remember that you are there to listen.
The 1:1 meeting is the space you have to understand, connect and help your team grow.
Of course, you can, and should use 1:1s to help your team members stretch themselves, getting new activities or projects as growth opportunities, but as a general rule, keep those as answers to their questions for growth, and not as topics you bring to the table.
That’s why the 1:1 meeting should be scheduled in advance, and if possible not rescheduled by the manager, so your team members can prepare themselves and bring the topics they want to discuss.
And as 1:1s topics, you may encourage your team members to bring any case they find relevant about them and their weeks. I had amazing conversations about video games and weekend trips that worked very well to create a closer relationship with my team.
An interesting thing here is: If your team member comes unprepared for the 1:1, and you are not comfortable talking about videogames or trips, use the 1:1 to make powerful questions and understand your team members even deeper.
The 1:1 agenda
Having clarified the purpose of the 1:1 meeting, as a manager, I try to divide the meeting into thirds (hence the 45 minutes) and found it very useful.
The first third of the 1:1 is reserved for topics brought by my team member, to talk about their feelings, last issues, and goals — at this part, you are only an observer, make small questions, but do not intervene.
The second part of the 1:1 is the moderation part, or the feedback one, where you — as a manager — can bring your questions, talking points (or different subjects), and most importantly, feedback on past events.
The last part of the 1:1 is reserved for follow-up actions. If there’s anything that was left open from previous conversations or activities that should be taken upon feedback, this is the time to make them clear and give them a target date to be accomplished (usually, until the next 1:1).
This agenda is a good way to keep a meaningful conversation flowing and covering the topics you need. It’s ok if sometimes you go through 30 minutes talking about your team member topics or if you need more than 45 minutes to cover important feedback. But those occasions should be the exception and not the rule.
The first 1:1 agenda
There is also a different suggestion for the first 1:1 with a team member. I usually have the same 45 minutes scheduled, but my agenda goes through:
- Who am I and how I intend to work and help you out;
- Why we have 1:1s and how they work at this team;
- Know-you questions:
- How do you like to be praised (in case of positive feedback)? In public or private?
- What is your preferred method of communication for feedback?
- Would you prefer to have it right away or during 1:1s?
- Which manager behaviors do you love? And which ones should I avoid?
- Do you have any clear career goals that I should know about so I can help you achieve them? - Agreements based on the question’s answers.
Before moving on…
It is nice to understand that 1:1s on your team may fit your management style and the ongoing team culture and time. From the recurring schedule to the agenda, try to bring your best judgment regarding your team behavior, their plans, and targets — it will be very difficult to keep a strict 45 minutes agenda with each one of them if you have a delayed project with multiple meeting appearing every day — so, if you do not have the culture of recurring 1:1s yet, try to start with a monthly meeting and them reshape it according to your team needs.
Do you have any different views on 1:1s or any recommendations?
Leave it in the comments!
