Author: Ieva Baranova / Source: Lifehack
The one on one meeting is a crucial and often underestimated management tool.
Not only is it an honest way to connect with employees and share the necessary information with them, but it is also a great way to hear their feedback.
What’s even more important – the one on one meeting is an opportunity to shape your employee’s experience and perception of you as a boss.
In many cases, what they think about you and your management style will also be reflected in their opinion about the whole company or organization that you represent.Running effective one on one meetings should be a priority for you as a manager or team leader. The 11 tips laid out in this article will help you make the most of this crucial time.
1. Get in the Right Mindset
A proper one on one session starts already before the meeting as you prepare your notes and your attitude for it.
Seeing the one on one meeting as an unwelcome distraction in your busy day won’t get you far.
Instead, take a few moments to clear your mind and focus on the person you are about to meet.
Start by reviewing your notes from the previous one-on-one with that employee, have a look at their latest performance stats, mark any complaints or praises you’ve received about them.
2. Make One on One Meetings a Regular Thing
The frequency of your one-on-ones largely depends on your company size and your management style. Some sources say that such meetings should be weekly, while others state that a bi-weekly or monthly schedule would do the trick.
A good idea is to set the next recurring meeting at the end of each current meeting so both parties can plan ahead for it.
Think about the frequency and length that would not seem too much for you or your employees, but would still be enough to keep everyone in the loop and maintain continuous contact.
New employees should have one-on-ones more often, at least once every week or two weeks.
Recurring one on one sessions make feedback sharing a routine and encourage a culture of honesty. Besides, regular personal conversations make employees feel understood, trusted and valued in the company – thus boosting their intrinsic motivation.
3. Set a Time Limit for the Meetings
Schedule enough time for these conversations, but don’t make them too long either. Nobody will look forward to meetings that lose focus and just drag on forever.
The optimal length of each session also depends on the frequency of these meetings – for example, if you meet every week, a 30-minute session might be enough. If you meet once in a fortnight or a month, 60 minutes might be more effective.
Successful managers such as Andy Grove, Co-Founder and former CEO of Intel, have advised to do one-on-ones that last for at least one hour:’
“Anything less, in my experience, tends to make the subordinate confine himself to simple things that can be handled quickly.”
4. Make a List of Topics to Discuss
A general plan or structure for the meeting might help to get the conversation going – especially in the first few meetings. However, you don’t have to stick to the plan no matter what. See it rather as a reference that can help in case the conversation gets stuck or drifts too far from the topic.
A meeting agenda can also be helpful if the employee is introverted and won’t be likely to talk on his or her own.
For example, you can prepare three to five topics that you are most interested to know about. Or, you can keep a list of questions in front of you, but remember to be flexible – you don’t have to ask all of them if the conversation flows naturally.
Some ideas for questions that are likely to generate thorough answers:
- Which part of the day do you feel most productive? Do you feel you’d need a different work schedule to improve your well-being and productivity?
- What are your latest achievements that make you proud?
- Do you have any suggestions that could help us work better as a team?
- Is there anybody on the team you find hard to work with? Could you explain why?
- Which of your tasks keep you engaged and inspired? Is there a way to make your daily tasks more engaging?
- What are the main bottlenecks in your present project? Can I help in any way to move it along?
- What are the things that worry you in your job or the office environment in general? Have you ever felt undervalued here?
- Do you feel like you are learning enough at work? Which areas would you like to learn more about?
- What can I do to improve my management style…
The post How to Run an Effective One on One Meeting with Team Members appeared first on FeedBox.