Have you been doing your 1-on-1s the right way?

The 101 of 1-on-1s

Dave Kline, Author of the MGMT Playbook has come up with a quick fix for your upcoming 1-on-1s, requiring only two changes:

• Shift the focus. If you’re the manager in the room, make sure the meeting is catered to your team member’s needs. Define or re-define what their excellent should look like, coach them towards their goals, and try not to step in unless necessary.
• Ditch the good questions for the great. Some questions could gauge whether your team member is excellently managing their area. Some of them include:

1. How are you doing? You’ll only know when to show up for them if you know them well. If you get a tepid response, ask again.
2. What’s most important for us to focus on? Let them set the agenda. Not only are you empowering them, you also get to learn how they think.
3. How are you tracking your goals? The more tangible, the better. If their goal isn’t easily measured, ask for qualitative angles that are in tension to surface the truth.
4. Are there notable wins/losses to discuss? More than the win/loss itself, analyze how they separate big from small, and if they’re proactively sharing.
5. How are you getting better? When your team is filled with curious and compounding professionals, the result is a team that's agile and resilient.

Check out Kline’s Twitter Thread here to find more question examples, and his complete template for an effective 1-on-1.

The no-gos for 1-on-1s

Sometimes, we are so heavily occupied by work that we no longer have the bandwidth to put aside time for individual catchups. And even when we do have the time, we do it just for the sake of crossing it off of our to-do list.

Take your 1-on-1s more seriously by avoiding the following common mistakes:

• Rescheduling—or worse, cancelling

According to HBR, a cancelled 1-on- 1 shows your team member that they’re not priority, makes it harder for them to improve their work quality, and pushes them to other ineffective ways to reach out to you.

• Letting project updates dominate

Pivot out of this trap by reiterating the purpose and goal of the meeting, reassessing your talking points, and if needed, adding a dedicated project check-in meeting that is separate from the routine 1-on-1.

• Mistaking it for performance reviews

Performance reviews are for talking about long-term goals and results, and one-on-one meetings are for ongoing coaching and support. 1-on-1s should give team members a dedicated time to raise challenges, issues, and feedback.

• Doing most of the talking

Create an environment where your team members feel comfortable expressing themselves. Communicate that you value their input and expect them to actively participate in shaping the discussion, and enhance your active listening skills.

• Expecting them to open up first

A critical skill that managers should continue to practice and improve on is vulnerable leadership. By being aware of your strengths and admitting to your shortcomings, you are encouraging an open communication amongst the team.

Learn more about the misconceptions on 1-on-1s and how to divert the common mistakes in the full article here.

Key role of the subordinate

Data shows that 1-on-1s are rated as the most useful meetings; above townhalls, daily standups, and quarterly meetings. Despite this validating finding, most team members or subordinates might feel like they have less control of how 1-on1s are conducted.

Your role as a subordinate should not be subpar to your manager. As the direct report, here are ways you can do to absorb as many values as you can from the 1-on-1s:

1. Set expectations. Remind not only yourself but your manager that this is your time with them by adding a meeting description, whether it’s in your calendar invite or agenda document.
2. Drive the meeting. If there are roadblocks that you’re facing, add them to the agenda leading up to the meeting. Be sure to give ample time to prepare, so aim to add most of your agenda items at least a day before the meeting.
3. Manage up. Knowing how to manage your manager will benefit your work and the team’s. Learn about their leadership style, communication traits, and tell them where you need them to be in order for you and the team to succeed.
4. Give and ask for feedback. Whether it’s about how you work with one another or about company culture, it’s important that it’s shared between you and your manager. Don’t forget to be specific, and write down the feedback you receive.

Read more about 1-on-1s and the related findings Hypercontext have gathered in their report, in the full article here.

Every team and every leader is different, it goes for 1-on-1s as well. But whatever your mentoring style might be, it should cover the above points to ensure it benefits both parties involved.

Have you done your 1-on-1 yet? Send over this Monday Mavens edition to your team members so they know what to prepare for next time.

See you next Monday for another fresh edition!