Remember those 30-minute one-on-one meetings that felt more like a cozy chat than a productive meeting? We laughed, we talked, but often missed the key points.
It turns out, most managers, myself included, learned to conduct effective 1:1s more through slow experience than quick training.
Good 1:1s meet both the work and personal needs of your team.
Here’s how to make yours better:
1. ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ-๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น-๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด: Be genuinely curious and caring about how your direct reports are doing. Example questions: “How did you feel this week?” “What was your best moment?” “How has your week been?”
2. ๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ญ:๐ญ๐: Tools like Asana, Jira, or even Google Sheets are great to track your meetings. Both you and your team member should add updates and agenda points, and review those, before the meeting.
3. ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐: Follow a set agenda. Cover open topics, action items, blockers, questions and successes. Save your valuable meeting time for discussion – you can share regular updates through the online tool.
4. ๐ฃ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: Starting on time and avoiding cancellations shows respect. It signals to your team you value their time.
5. ๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฝ: If you promise to take an action, update your team on the progress. Itโs a great way to build trust. Ask the same from your team.
6. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด: For leaders, information is gold. The leader that listens well has a big advantage. Listening also makes your team feel heard and cared about. (We all overestimate our ability to listen.)
7. ๐๐๐ธ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐: Encourage them to think and reflect about their week. Ask about highlights and challenges. Instead of giving your ideal solution right away, ask them what they think first. This supports growth and learning.
Using these tips, you can turn 1:1s from simple chats into powerful tools for growth and success.