I've written an article about why 1:1 meetings are important. Hope you like it! Here's the article (originally published here: https://blog.newsteer.com/why-one-on...18b#.hxo4ymk58):
We all hate meetings. You have limited time, your task list is endless, and the goals are aggressive. Your calendar is already full of other meetings—management meetings, quarterly review meetings, sync meetings, and much more.
But as a manager or leader, there's one meeting you should have and follow: one-on-one meetings with your team members. You can check what Ben Horowitz and other leaders think about one-on-one meetings.
A one-on-one is a dedicated space for open-ended and anticipated conversation between a manager and a team member.
"You spend so much time finding great people, it's worth it to help them grow to be the best they can be."
Justin Rosenstein, (Co-Founder, Asana)
Why One-on-One Meetings Are Important
One-on-one meetings will help you develop a strong relationship and create a culture of feedback and open communication. By running one-on-one meetings, you will be able to:
- Strengthen the relationship between you both.
- Share feedback from both parties, constantly.
- Set up goals and objectives.
- Work on the right things, at the right time.
- Test the mood and engagement of the team as a whole.
- Highlight good performance you have noticed.
- Address any performance issues before they become serious.
- Brainstorm ideas and solutions for team problems or challenges.
- Reinforce important messages about vision or company changes.
One-on-ones are the best way for managers and leaders to connect with their team members on pressing issues, develop a strong relationship, create a culture that facilitates feedback and open communication, and ensure that team members feel like they're working towards their goals.
Getting the Most Out of One-on-Ones
- Set up the right cadence: You need consistency. If you want to help and coach your team to achieve the business goals, this is your ritual. It's important to have them every week.
- Do one after the other: The best way to get the most out of this meeting is by setting them one after the other. Block your Monday afternoon or Friday morning to do it.
- Get prepared in advance: Prepare and send the questions you want to ask before the meeting. Five to seven questions are enough.
- Avoid casual and unstructured conversations: Have a structure and schedule, always. Find a relaxed place to meet where both parties feel comfortable.
- Take actions out of the discussion: Once you've talked, both parties should start working on the actions. It's important to have one-on-ones, but it's also important to make progress and do the actions. Taking actions and being accountable is key for your relationship with your peers.
Location: Barcelona, Spain
We all hate meetings. You have limited time, your task list is endless, and the goals are aggressive. Your calendar is already full of other meetings—management meetings, quarterly review meetings, sync meetings, and much more.
But as a manager or leader, there's one meeting you should have and follow: one-on-one meetings with your team members. You can check what Ben Horowitz and other leaders think about one-on-one meetings.
A one-on-one is a dedicated space for open-ended and anticipated conversation between a manager and a team member.
"You spend so much time finding great people, it's worth it to help them grow to be the best they can be."
Justin Rosenstein, (Co-Founder, Asana)
Why One-on-One Meetings Are Important
One-on-one meetings will help you develop a strong relationship and create a culture of feedback and open communication. By running one-on-one meetings, you will be able to:
- Strengthen the relationship between you both.
- Share feedback from both parties, constantly.
- Set up goals and objectives.
- Work on the right things, at the right time.
- Test the mood and engagement of the team as a whole.
- Highlight good performance you have noticed.
- Address any performance issues before they become serious.
- Brainstorm ideas and solutions for team problems or challenges.
- Reinforce important messages about vision or company changes.
One-on-ones are the best way for managers and leaders to connect with their team members on pressing issues, develop a strong relationship, create a culture that facilitates feedback and open communication, and ensure that team members feel like they're working towards their goals.
Getting the Most Out of One-on-Ones
- Set up the right cadence: You need consistency. If you want to help and coach your team to achieve the business goals, this is your ritual. It's important to have them every week.
- Do one after the other: The best way to get the most out of this meeting is by setting them one after the other. Block your Monday afternoon or Friday morning to do it.
- Get prepared in advance: Prepare and send the questions you want to ask before the meeting. Five to seven questions are enough.
- Avoid casual and unstructured conversations: Have a structure and schedule, always. Find a relaxed place to meet where both parties feel comfortable.
- Take actions out of the discussion: Once you've talked, both parties should start working on the actions. It's important to have one-on-ones, but it's also important to make progress and do the actions. Taking actions and being accountable is key for your relationship with your peers.
Location: Barcelona, Spain