Communication with employees is one of the cornerstones of effective leadership. And open communication often requires one-on-one meetings with those in your team.
Being successful at those One-on-Ones is a skill that takes a lot of practice.
We have gathered some of the best ideas how to make your future meetings a lot better and profitable. We want to make sure that one-on-one meetings are not just time-killers but bring actual value into your team.
“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 of Asana
The main thing about any meeting, including one-on-ones, is to face them prepared. Before the scheduled meeting, have a plan. Know what you’re walking into. Be ready to ask questions and offer advise.
Remember that one-on-one meetings are part of two-way communication. You are not only giving feedback to your employees but getting feedback from them.
That’s why it’s important to let them know that they can tell you honestly if something about their work (or you!) bothers them. Be open to criticism and make sure the employee sees they’re heard.
Structure of an one-on-one meeting.
It’s good to start the meeting with open-ended questions. These questions establish a casual atmosphere and build trust during the meeting.
As the meeting continues, go more specific. Get an overview of all of employee’s projects in a logical order. Now this is the part of the meeting you prepared before. Make sure everything is covered.
Then continue with feedback. You can first give your ideas about the employee’s work and then follow with questions about how you or the company can help to achieve even more.
When the meeting is over, both you and the employee must feel, they’ve gotten something out of it. You must both be at an agreement on what’s going to happen next and how you both will contribute to employee’s work effort.
