Methods For Improving One-On-One Meetings

Managers are among the most effective tools for increasing employee engagement. And where better to interact with your employees than one-on-one? These meetings provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen relationships with employees and communicate successes, challenges, objectives, feedback, and other topics. On the other hand, the one-on-one meeting is one that almost every manager could improve.

Thoughtful managers can be powerful growth catalysts, and regular meetings are the best place to establish a culture of frequent positive and constructive feedback and continuous improvement. Still, they are frequently misunderstood, underutilised, or not used.

Amazing things can happen if both the manager and the employee understand that their one-on-one session is a place where both parties can celebrate success while also learning and growing through constructive feedback. This implies that feedback should be provided not only by the manager but also by the employee to their manager. This is how trust is built.

It can be difficult to provide constructive feedback. However, if both managers and employees agree to provide positive and constructive feedback regarding one another, the process becomes much easier.

 

Set an agenda for preparation

Many one-on-one meetings do not have an agenda, which is fine if you need a quick, light conversation.

However, one-on-ones are most efficient when they are planned ahead of time. Preparing thoughtful questions and discussion topics to reflect on is preferable to stumbling through nonsequiturs or staring at each other's silence for 30 minutes when neither party has anything to say. You can begin by adapting a useful one-on-one meeting template to your specific needs. Each person could spend about 10-15 minutes before the meeting trying to add notes to the agenda and thinking through specific interactions and meaningful comments they'd like to share.

 

Switch back and forth between short-term and long-term discussions

Weekly meetings are important, but talking about the same topics week after week could lead to stale and repetitive discussions.

One way to keep discussions interesting is to switch topics every week between short-term progress on projects and initiatives and long-term improvement forward into career goals, learning, and advancement.

 

No unnecessary distractions from technology

Contrary to popular belief, it is impossible to have an insightful in-person discussion while staring at your phone or the 18 web browser tabs you have open. Make sure you and your direct reports keep distractions to a minimum.

If you're meeting in person, consider sitting outside or going for a walk. On busy days, leaving the office can help free up mental space for better reflective thinking and conversation.

If you're meeting remotely, ensure your workspace is free of distractions, that new browser windows are closed, and that you're prepared to give your full attention.

 

Maintain consistency: do not skip; reschedule

Things occur. Simply reschedule if either person is too occupied or has too many interruptions to engage in the one-on-one.

A late discussion is preferable to one that is disorganised or cancelled.

 

Listen first

Denying people the opportunity to provide feedback on how things could be improved is a certain way to make them unhappy at work. So, in each one-on-one meeting, take the time to solicit feedback from your employees. This feedback could be about your management, team processes, product features, or the company's overall culture or strategy.

While your organisation should encourage employee feedback across questionnaires and focus groups, why hesitate? As a leader, you can gain greater insight from your employees while inspiring them to look for ways to improve both you and the company.

One simple way for managers to assist is to ask any questions during one-on-ones, both for the employee (i.e., "What can I do to actively serve you in your role?") and for more broad, company-level insights (i.e., "What opportunities are we missing as an organisation?").

You're not done once you've gathered feedback! Inform them that you have considered their points of view and that their personal views are valuable. Then, it's critical to act on the feedback you've received.

 

Employee feedback, both positive and negative

One-on-one meetings are ideal for celebrating successes and providing constructive criticism to your direct reports. Frequent recognition has numerous advantages, including increased employee engagement, reduced staff turnover, and improved performance. You'll be able to reap these benefits if you hold a once-a-week one-on-one where acknowledgement is prioritised! However, it must go beyond "You're doing such a fantastic job!" at every meeting. Recognition should be specific, frequent, and based on values. When you do have constructive feedback to give your employees, Shari Harley's steps in How to Say Anything to Anyone can help:

• Begin by expressing empathy, humility, and gratitude.

• Use specific examples of unacceptable behaviour.

• Concentrate on the consequences of those behaviours.

• Mention any possible consequences.

• Allow the individual to decide on the next steps.

• All and any improvements should be praised.

 

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