How often do you have 1:1 meetings with your team? Regularly scheduled and honored 1:1 meetings are the best productivity and anti-burnout tool a leader has, yet many leaders are inconsistent with 1:1 meetings and whether you intend to or not, cancelling or not even scheduling 1:1 meetings with your team is sending them a powerful message.
Why are they so important? These meetings can:
- Clear misunderstandings
- Increase Engagement
- Reduce potential burnout
- Create clarity on goals
While many leaders see these meetings as “extra” – I argue that these are important opportunities for you to connect with your people and really hear what is going on. When done well, these meetings can build trust, engagement and productivity of each team member.
So, what do you need to do as a leader to have effective meetings and get those benefits?
- Be Consistent – have them scheduled consistently and hold to schedule
- Be Present – turn off phone, computer distractions
- Be Curious – about both work and personal
As leaders we sometimes dismiss our 1:1 meetings in favor of more urgent activities, but that is a mistake. These meetings connect us with our people, allow us to discuss deeper issues and identify opportunities in a way like no other. Many leaders are not confident in their ability to conduct effective 1:1 meetings. Other leaders feel like they aren’t really necessary for their “star” performers or are looking to avoid difficult conversations with people not performing as well.
One way to help you get better at these conversations is to shift your mindset about those meetings. Think of this as an opportunity to have a collaborative conversation. You are working with your employee to build trust, think creatively about your goals, check in on progress and address big picture and important things that are sometimes neglected in favor of urgent tasks or daily work efforts.
During these meetings make a real effort to actively listen and ask open ended questions. You may be surprised by how much you learn and how valuable these conversations can be. By consistently scheduling and holding 1:1 meetings, you are signaling to your team members that they are important to you, worth your time and valued. Employees who feel seen and valued are less likely to feel disengaged at work or experience burnout.
What should we talk about?
I’ll give you a sample agenda for conducting an effective 1:1 meeting. Have your employee list topics they would like to discuss prior to the meeting, and you do the same. Then, as you start the meeting – Share your lists and agree to the highest priority items to discuss in the time you have together. You may follow a format like I have outlined below:
What do we need to discuss?
Challenges you are facing?
Update on objectives
Discuss Challenges
Hold accountability
Create Action Plan
Discuss career goals/paths (this may not need to be done at every meeting, but it should be on the agenda every few meetings and you should own some actions to help your employee make progress toward their career goals.
Your goal in 1:1 meetings should be to really listen and hear what is going on with your team. These meetings give you a chance to provide positive and constructive feedback to team members as well as get some “word on the street” feedback around what is really happening with the team. If you aren’t sure how to get your people talking, here are some sample questions to ask:
- How are you doing? (you may want to start – by sharing how you are doing – and be honest, if you are stressed, tell your team member, or excited, or a bit weary – its ok – if you model being honest with how you feel, it will be easier for your team to be honest with you)
- What’s your favorite part of your work?
- What would you change about this project if you could?
- What are we not talking about as a team that we should be?
- What should I start, stop or continue to do?
- What are your plans for the weekend?
If you would like more help with having better one on one meetings, lets set up some time to talk. https://www.ridgelinecoaching.com/contact-us-2/
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