One-on-one meetings are a valuable tool for team management, but they can also be challenging to conduct effectively. How do you deal with common issues or pitfalls that may arise during these sessions? In this article, we will share some tips and best practices to help you make the most of your one-on-one meetings with your team members.
Before you schedule a one-on-one meeting, make sure you have a clear purpose and agenda for it. What are the main topics or questions you want to cover? What are the outcomes or actions you want to achieve? Communicate these to your team member in advance, so they can prepare and contribute to the discussion. Having clear goals and expectations will help you avoid wasting time or getting sidetracked by irrelevant issues.
One-on-one meetings can be scheduled or ad hoc, however, I find it useful to have a standing one-on-one meeting with my team members on a weekly basis. For one-on-one meetings I typically follow this agenda - - What are your priorities for the week? - How is your workload? - What are your project updates for the week? - Are there any obstacles you are facing? Other potential topics are professional development and training opportunities, and special projects an individual would like to work on. We keep a list of these topics in our work management system as a stand-alone project and post quick updates prior to our meeting. This method also allows us to see a history of past topics and keep track of progress made.
Just two things to add to these insightful points: Put in a different way - always have a higher purpose for these 1 2 1s both from the team member as well as the manager. If you both have that higher purpose you want to achieve and come away having achieved that higher purpose then it is a productive 1 2 1 Try to make the 1 2 1s not just about goals or expectations but aspirational as well. Its about, 'where you do you want to go? How can I help you get there?'
Having clear goals and agenda helps drive one-on-one discussions really effectively. The best model I have found so far is when the team members take charge and share agenda items. It really empowers the discussions and drives engagement. I also keep learning as an ongoing goal to check upon during each such conversation.
One on One meetings are great opportunity to discuss on goals, progress and aspirations. In my experience, We often focus on the progress of the work, future planning for the project, expectations and improvement areas during one on one meetings. Discussing aspirations has taken back seat here.In my opinion, we should focus more on discussing aspirations and guidance to start the journey during such meetings. This helps your team to achieve what they aspire. It also help us to create the open environment and healthy relationship with our team.
One common pitfall in 1:1 meetings is making them too formal. Starting with casual conversation can help ease tension and make the meeting more relaxed. Consistency is also crucial; regular check-ins keep communication lines open and often provide more valuable insights than infrequent, formal meetings. Balancing talking and listening is another challenge. While it's tempting to share updates, allowing ample space for the other person to voice their thoughts and concerns leads to more productive and meaningful discussions.
One of the most important skills for effective one-on-one meetings is active listening. This means paying attention to what your team member is saying, asking open-ended questions, paraphrasing and summarizing their points, and showing empathy and understanding. Active listening will help you build trust and rapport with your team member, as well as identify their needs, concerns, and feedback. It will also encourage them to open up and share more with you.
In my experience: We don't listen enough. Listening to understand is not the same as listening to agree. We can listen and still disagree. If there is a difference of opinion in these 1 2 1s on where you need to go and how you need to get there, listening on both sides can help Empathy of course plays a huge part and from my learning it is far safer to empathise with the feeling rather than the situation. We have all felt frustration or anger etc but we haven't all been in exactly the situation that your team member has been in.
One-on-one meetings are a great opportunity to provide feedback and recognition to your team member. Feedback should be specific, timely, and balanced, meaning that you highlight both the strengths and areas for improvement of their performance. Recognition should be sincere, meaningful, and aligned with their values and goals. Providing constructive feedback and recognition will help you motivate and inspire your team member, as well as improve their skills and confidence.
Feedback plays a very important role. Supplementing examples with feedback keeps it objective. It drives focus on what is going well or needs attention rather than feedback on the person. Aligning feedback with goals and their work is also a very good point.
Sometimes, one-on-one meetings may involve dealing with conflicts or challenges that affect your team member or the team as a whole. These could be interpersonal issues, work-related problems, or personal difficulties. In these cases, you need to approach the situation with respect, honesty, and professionalism. Try to understand the root cause and the impact of the conflict or challenge, and work with your team member to find a solution or a way forward. Avoid blaming, criticizing, or dismissing their feelings or opinions.
At the end of each one-on-one meeting, you should agree on the action steps and follow up that are needed to achieve the goals and expectations you set at the beginning. These could be tasks, projects, deadlines, or milestones that you or your team member need to complete or monitor. Make sure you document these action steps and follow up, and review them in your next meeting. This will help you track progress and accountability, as well as ensure continuity and consistency.
One thing I have found very useful is documenting the action items and follow-ups. It does help in tracking progress, providing motivation, and adding accountability, as mentioned. It also serves as a common understanding of the goal, action items, and timelines between both parties.