Team and One-on-One Meetings Can be a Catalyst for Success

“A manager's ability to turn meetings into a thinking environment is probably an organization's greatest asset.”

Nancy Kline

Monday, 11 a.m., just before noon. A "perfect" time for a regular weekly meeting. Especially when there is no clear agenda. If you are a people manager the worst thing you can do is to have one of those. Because people are tired of being interrupted in their work to participate in pointless gatherings, even when they occasionally turn to be fun.

On other hand the weekly team and one-on-one meetings, if done properly, are a very strong leadership tool.

And every people manager should be aware of the strengths this tools possess.

So let's start with the regular team meetings.

To make the smallest and probably the most important part of every organization successful, one should have clear vision about the purpose of those meetings. We need recurrence and structure, along with well defined preliminary shared agenda with all the participants. If the people manager is unsure whether to have a team meeting or not, it is better not to do it at all. Аt its core the team meeting must be a place to share information that concerns every member of the team in the most transparent way, so that can make possible discussions over the different topics in an open and honest manner. The best practices show that those meetings have to be carefully prepared, structured, to have an exact time frame, to aim short and simple goals and to be followed by shared notes of the most important things that have been discussed.

In my experience there are six types of team meetings (not an exhaustive list):

1. Information sharing - the manager or a team member shares important information.
2. Decision making - the goal is to make a decision on a topic.
3. Problem solving - brainstorming ideas how to deal with a challenge.
4. Status updating - give important info on ongoing processes and projects.
5. Knowledge sharing - a team member gives a presentation on an interesting topic.
6. Team building - motivate people working together through gamification.

The range of those meetings can vary, but they are most productive in the scope of 1,5 - 2 hours. Especially when the meeting is a combination of more then one type, which I highly recommend. It is a good idea to always start with a positive circle in the form of a short small talk, led by the team leader himself. That will help the essential part of the meeting to be more efficient and productive. It is also important to end on a positive note as well.

The clear structure, purpose and agenda of the meeting is equally important in one-on-one format. The recurrence depends on the type and the specific circumstances. The meeting have to be arranged in advance by mutual agreement. I would highly recommend to have at least one meeting per team member a week. The idea is not lose track of what's really important for both parties.

There are several types of one-on-one meetings as well (not an exhaustive list):

1. Building and maintaining trust meeting.
2. Set by the team member meeting.
3. Career plan meeting.
4. Setting goals meeting.
5. Performance and feedback meeting.
6. Coaching and development meeting.
7. Motivational meetings.

Building trust is not a one time event, it is a process. The people manager should be focused on this type of meeting entirely on the team member. Asking predominantly open-ended questions is a great strategy for success.

A highly underappreciated, but very powerful tool in management are the Meetings proposed, set and led by the team member himself. Great way to empower your collaborators, efficient way to maintain their trust and loyalty.

Career planning meeting is essential when e newcomer joins your team, at the beginning and once a year or once every couple of years. It will help you easily manage expectations and keep the internal motivation of the team member.

Setting goals meeting is much more regular, depending on the organization's setting goals cycle, of course. To make an agreement and keep track on the results, written form is obligatory.

Performance and feedback meeting is a must for any professional who wants to regularly meet his goals. Feedback in both directions is the fuel for success of the single individual, but also of the entire team.

Coaching and development meeting have to ensure that every team member is receiving what is needed to develop and grow in their roles, horizontally and vertically. Here clear structure and careful preparation, along with asking predominantly open-ended questions is essential.

And final in our list, and very important type is the Motivational meeting. In my experience, the motivation is ultimately intrinsic. The inner engine that drives every member of your team needs to be fostered. When team members start in our teams usually they are highly motivated. Exactly this intrinsic motivation must be nurtured and guided in the right form and direction. For that reason is essential for every manager to be people focused, to be curious, to be always present and also to listen actively - we listen to understand, rather than to respond.

Like in the old story of the young boy:

A little boy was late getting home one day. When he finally showed up, his worried mother asked, “Where have you been?”

The little boy explained, “I stopped to help a friend whose bicycle had broken down.”

“But you don’t know how to fix a bicycle,” his mother said.

“That’s true,” replied the little boy, “But I stopped to be with him while he cried.”

So, make sure that you as a team leader are always there for each and every single one of your team members.

And enjoy the outcomes!

 -Stoyan