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Editing Manager Guide: Improving your 1:1s – Medium
Manager Guide: Improving your 1:1s
As a Manager, a major part of your job is to have 1:1s with your
reports. And this article will primarily talk about ways to improve on
those.
Traditional 1:1s
For the most part, 1:1s are a way for the reports to discuss their
performance or any issues they might be facing with their managers.
That worked fine, I guess, but really it doesn’t anymore.
Too many issues with this approach:
1. Reports feel like they are in a very structured, controlled
environment. They don’t have the freedom to express
themselves
2. 1:1s are just about business, and there is no getting to know the
team better.
3. There’s no building of trust either way. All managers have to go
on is the work that they see getting done, and reports have no
way to build trust in their managers.
4. You know the list can go on and on;
. . .
So what’s the alternative? Here’s my approach to 1:1s:
A newer 1:1 format
Alternate your 1:1s.
Say you have a 1:1 with your reports twice a month. Instead of both
of them being in a room, or on a boring structured Zoom call,
change it in such a way that one is not about work at all, and the
other is more work-oriented.
The one that’s not about work at all:
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If you have the luxury of being in the office, I would highly
recommend NOT having this 1:1 in a room. Instead, take this time to
head out for a walk, or a coffee break with your report. Don’t make
this a group activity, it’s still a 1:1 (last I checked, that still adds to 2).
My favorite option is to find a coffee/tea spot close by and walk
there.
If you are in a remote role, this becomes a little trickier, but even
then, the Zoom meeting could be over a cup of coffee, or snacks. The
agenda can still remain the same — no agenda.
This simple process changes a lot of things about this discussion.
One, it’s no longer a discussion, but rather a casual chat between
equals. Two, this builds an environment, where both people feel
more comfortable opening up and being vulnerable. And three, it is
clear that this is no longer about business, so it enables you to talk
about other things in life — travel plans, weekend plans, family,
sports, whatever…
Take this 1:1 time to get to know them better. Ask them about their
personal life without being too nosy. Keep it light and casual. Talk
about your own life and likes.
One caveat to this, I know a lot of people are introverts and they may
not have a lot to contribute, so here are a few things to break the ice:
1. Family and background
2. Recent travel, or upcoming travel plans
3. Interests and hobbies
4. Sports teams
5. Games
6. Shopping plans
7. Cooking interests
These seem very generic and here’s why; there’s no structure to this
meeting (and that’s very important). It’s kept unplanned for a reason,
it’s to get to know the person better. It’s to build a friendship. Find
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common interests to talk about and keep the conversation light and
casual. Think of it as more a conversation between friends rather
than with a report.
The one that’s work-oriented:
The above 1:1 is great to get to know the person, but there are still
various aspects that need to be discussed between a manager and a
report. So here’s my structure for the more formal 1:1.
1. Blockers
2. Support needed
3. Context setting
4. 2-way Feedback/Suggestions
5. Team updates
6. Growth trajectory
Let’s talk about what should be covered in each of them.
Blockers: Primarily ask them to talk about any blockers that they
may be facing in their current tasks. Ideally, they shouldn’t wait until
1:1s to bring this up, but still best to check up on this. Also, if there
were some blockers from earlier, this is a good time to follow up on
the current status.
Support needed: This covers if there is any support they need either
professionally or personally. This could be things like — some work
pending on external teams that’s needed soon, some training
program access, etc. Anything that could ease their day-to-day work.
Context Setting: I personally find this very important. Very often we
find that people are working on something without a clear context
behind it. I like to use some time during the 1:1 to set some context
for them on the why behind their work. This could also cover setting
some context on why certain team/company-level decisions were
taken, etc.
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2-way Feedback/Suggestions: Here’s your opportunity to share both
positive and critical feedback for your reports. And it’s also an
excellent platform for them to share their feedback about you or the
company. It’s extremely important to set a stage where they can also
express themselves. I would highly recommend encouraging them to
share feedback for you, the team, the process, the 1:1 format, the
organization, the management, etc.
Team Updates: A good idea in my book is to also let your team know
what’s going on with the team/company at large. Let them know if
any major changes are upcoming, if somebody is moving out, or if
somebody new is joining the team. Let them know if any processes
are being changed, or if any new project is about to come in. Take
this time to build transparency within your team. The more you trust
in them, the more they’ll come to trust you.
Growth Trajectory: Everyone is looking to grow, and it’s always a
good idea to have a growth trajectory discussion with your reports
during their yearly/bi-yearly reviews. With those goals set in place,
these 1:1s are a great time to discuss the current status. Are things
looking green, or are some goals getting forgotten? Is there
something that you can do to put things back on track? Are they
learning something new? If not, why not, and how can you help
change that?
I’m not saying you might have something to discuss in each of these
sub-headings. But this framework will add a structure to your
discussion.
And I would highly recommend sharing your framework with your
reports as well so that they can come to the 1:1 prepared as well.
They’ll have feedback to share if they know that you’ll be asking
them for it and they have had time to think about it. They’ll have
made mental notes about their progress on their goals if they know
that’s something that’ll be discussed. It’s always best to let them
know the agenda before the conversation.
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