5 Tips for Holding Effective One-on-Ones
5 Tips for Holding Effective One-on-Ones
Regular one-on-one meetings (1:1s) are critical for building relationships with your employees. These meetings are your best opportunity to collaborate, identify challenges, brainstorm solutions, provide feedback and initiate coaching and mentorship conversations. If you’re not holding regular 1:1s, it’s time to start!
Setting aside 30 minutes a week to invest into each of your employees can have incredible benefits. 1:1s provide opportunities for continuous development by providing a structure for developmental feedback and growth opportunities. These meetings also help to create regular and open communication with your employees so you can catch underperformance early and recognize accomplishments in real time. They also cultivate a sense of belonging, leading to higher engagement and retention.
We know that incorporating 1:1s into your already demanding routine can feel like a daunting task, but following these five tips can help you implement them on your team with ease.
1. Communicate the Purpose
Just like with any process, it’s important for managers to lead with “why”. Communicating the purpose of one-on-ones can create buy-in on your team, helping you and your employees to get the most out of every meeting. Whether you’re beginning one-on-ones from scratch or revamping your existing processes, we recommend sending an email to your team or communicating the changes during an all hands meeting.
2. Establish a Rhythm
One-on-ones aren’t “one size fits all”, so find a rhythm that works best for your team. While we recommend that managers hold 30-minute 1:1s with each of their employees on a weekly basis, collaborative teams that are in constant communication might choose to hold them on a bi-weekly basis instead. On the contrary, managers with new employees may choose to hold them twice a week to help the employee get started off on the right foot. Consider starting with our suggested rhythm and make adjustments based on the individual needs of your team members.
3. Let the Employee Set the Agenda
One-on-ones are most successful when you let the employee set the agenda. Consider this a time for you to get a glimpse into what the employee’s week looks like. What are their priorities? What are they hung up on? What questions have they been holding off to ask you? Encourage the employee to send over their agenda items ahead of time, or create a shared document to create a collaborative agenda. Take a few minutes before each meeting to review their agenda items alongside last week’s meeting notes to show up to the 1:1 fully prepared.
4. Start by Creating Connection
If you’re starting your 1:1s by diving straight into work, you’re missing a huge opportunity to create connection with your employees. These meetings give you the chance to show employees that you care about them on a deeper level than just work. Spend the first few minutes of your meeting by having an informal catch up. Celebrate wins and milestones outside of work. Ask thoughtful questions to help you uncover how they’re feeling. Use each 1:1 as an opportunity to grow your relationship.
5. End with Action Items
Save the last five minutes of the meeting to recap key takeaways, provide clarity on priorities and agree on action items coming out of the meeting. Consider sending the employee a follow-up email with these key takeaways, or add them to your shared agenda. The more clarity you can provide coming out of the meeting, the more you’ll set up your employee for success.