ONE-ON-ONES
Inspiring Greatness One Session At A Time
I’m going to go out on a limb and proclaim one-on-ones to be one of the most important productivity tools for a manager (if not the most).
It’s awesome for building rapport with our staff, a way to show we value them and a platform to double-down on our commitment in helping them develop and grow. It’s got a nifty pulse check mechanism to track progress and opportunity to course correct if necessary. Frankly, I can’t think of a better way to earn my stripes than working side-by-side with my folks to solution out scenarios.
So why does it feel like I’m not having enough of them, and when I do – it seems hurried and disorganized? How can I make the meetings more productive and collaborative? Are there any techniques that I can use to track progress? And lastly, is there anything that I or my staff need to do differently? Below are some tips I’ve use to get the most out of my meetings.
[ 1 ] Reoccurring Calendar Slot
Consistency typically takes effort, but in this case all we need is a calendaring system. Work out a time that’s good for both parties, book it and set as a reoccurring event. The duration and frequency on when these happen is going to change depending on the experience level of your staff, the overall team size, your role, your bandwidth, etc. Experiment to find something that works and stick with it once you do.
I know it’s tempting, but try not to cancel once its set. Staffing is demanding and often tests our ability to juggle competing priorities. So while it may seem harmless to bump your 1on1 for a higher priority call, it sends exactly that message to your staff – that they’re low on the totem pole when it comes to your attention. Instead, always arrive on time and don’t cancel (but if you have to, then at least don’t do it last minute).
Having a standing meeting also allows your staff to prep on their end.
[ 2 ] Agenda
Now that we have each other on the clock, what do we talk about? Should there be a set itinerary or just wing it? I typically choose the former, but nothing too formal.
Prep Work: I ask my staff to jot down a list of bullet points that they’d like to discuss. If it contains challenges, then come prepared with potential solutions. This not only trains them to preemptively comb thru several possible scenarios - but it’ll save valuable time during the session, time that you can spend asking further questions or offering constructive feedback.
Eye Ball It: Now all we do is compare our list at the beginning of the session to make sure the important items can be covered in the allotted time.
Ask for Help: One of my favorite trick is to ask for help on a particular topic. For example, ask for their guidance on how to improve our current sourcing process, and listen to what they think works best and like least. Or “I want to improve our team’s offer-to-hire ratio by 5%, what do you think is the biggest hurdle in preventing us from meeting that goal?”
Spice Things Up: I also don’t cover the same items every meeting. A sample routine could look like this:
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Every odd numbered session to focus on metrics and go deep on productivity/project based items.
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Every even numbered session we quickly skim over metrics but focus attention toward items ranging from professional development, career plans, motivation, employee happiness, cultural transformation, etc.
Side note: when it comes to career-related talks, some experts suggest you give ample warning before diving into it so your folks can do some self-reflection and not be put on the spot.
[ 3 ] Be A Coach, Not The Boss
I'm lucky to have learned this lesson early in my management career. Back then I would come out of these one-on-ones either exhausted like I've ran a marathon or it was so easy that I did it with my eyes closed. The difference was whether I was truly engaged or riding on auto-pilot. My biggest flaw was treating these meetings as just another item on my plate and only put on my cognitive thinking hat when it suited me.
It wasn't until I started genuinely care about the person in front of me that I received the greatest ROI. I no longer only looked at their production and how that ties into my deliverables. I started partnering with my team members and coached them from a holistic viewpoint - ranging from current production to short term and long term goals (both at the career and personal level). We talked about happiness and found projects that they were proud to work on. We pinpointed areas that my folks may potentially like to do and I linked them up with SMEs as mentors. I constantly reevaluated myself and asked my team on how I can be the best manager for them. I transitioned from being a boss that only cared about my production to a coach that moved mountains together.
Now I engage these sessions prepared, with all electronics silent, and focused on the person in front of me. It's amazing how much of a difference you can make when you genuinely care about your staff and want them to succeed not only at work but in life. The returns they gave me have been 10 fold.
[ 4 ] Coaching Profile using SSC
Ok, now that we’ve poured our hearts out – how do we go about documenting our findings, set marching orders and track the progress for our next session? I’ve utilized numerous techniques to administer 1-on-1s and they tend to fall into the extremes (either too formal/complex or swing wildly on the other end with very little structure). For a decent middle ground approach I’ve found the Start/Stop/Continue method to be quite resourceful.
The premise of SSC is simple. First it’s a productivity hack that will help you and your team get more done. Second, it’s a way to get you to know your team members and how they are doing. It’s a check-in activity.
METHOD: Start | Stop | Continue (SSC)
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Pick a Topic: It can be a big topic like developing a master sourcing strategy, or something small like interview debriefs. Now turn that topic into a goal with something tangible that you can use to reference progress. For example, my topic will be Closing Candidates, and the goal is to "Increase my Offer to Hire Ratio by 15%".
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Ask 3 Questions: Every task/action associated with the topic above can be placed into one of three buckets. I ask the Start, Stop and Continue questions (samples below) to figure out which buckets they fall within. It is important that your staff arrives at the answers themselves, even if it means a heavy handed guidance from your side. Never force a solution down their throat - it needs to be something they helped create, can stand behind and think possible. Refer to the LIFT Method if you'd like a refresher.
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Living Profile: This process may take some time in the beginning, but once hashed out, each subsequent chat becomes easier and easier. Edits are done at each meeting until the individual achieves/reaches the goal. SSC's are created for each topic/goal, and each individual may have several of these. The combination of all the goals/SSC's become a living coaching profile.
HOW IT WORKS
Bag of Tricks, PeopleResults
Start
"What should we start doing?"
List ideas/items that:
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You are not doing, but think you should be
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New ideas that have come up or not been considered before
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Ideas to address new situations or factors that may not have existed at the beginning of a project or task
Stop
"What should we stop doing?"
List ideas/items that:
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Are not working or helping you
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Are not having the desired outcome
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May have proved to be impractical
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We or others dislike
Continue
"What should we continue doing?"
List ideas/items that:
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Are working well and want to keep
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The team/individual likes and thinks are successful
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May be pieces of a process that the team/individual wants to "stop", This keeps us from throwing out the baby with the bath water.
[ 5 ] Celebrate Small Victories
Always start your meetings on a positive note by referencing something that’s worked. It’s a good habit to celebrate the small wins.
Researchers have found that receiving positive feedback actually triggers the release of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that plays a major role in the motivational component of reward-motivated behaviors. However, recognition are shortlived, so to have an enduring impact on employee engagement, it needs to be offered regularly.
There's also a huge difference between praises and recognition. Simply put, praises are compliments without specific content. It's telling someone "Hey, great job!". It strokes the ego, but is pretty generic and less actionable. Praises without specifics are not very effective, and can even come across negatively if the staff doesn't think it's genuine. Frequent praises and no substances can make people roll their eyes.
Instead, offer specific feedback that promotes the positive behaviors that I want from my team. We call this recognition. Reward on results, but offer recognition for actions.
Click here for more specifics on Praise vs. Recognition.
[ 6 ] Close the Way You Begin
Just as you start your meetings with positive jujus, strive to end it the same way by offering a sincere “Thank You”.
This becomes significantly more important as your “asks” stray further away from your employee’s comfort zone. The bigger the “ask”, the more drained they will be. Thank them for not only going thru the exercise with you, but also for their fortitude in taking up whatever solution you guys mustered up.
A simple “I appreciate and value what you’re doing” goes a long way.
Still stuck on what to ask? Check out some sample questions below courtesy of Know Your Team, Culture Amp and Soap Box. I've seperated them into several categories for ease of use.
[ 7 ] Sample Questions
General Check-ins
"How is everything going today? Tell me about this last week?"
"What’s on your mind this week?"
"Last time we spoke you said X was a challenge for you, how is that going?"
"What are your plans and priorities this week?"