From Chats to Cadence - One-on-Ones
what is should not be and what it should be
When you become a manager, the first advice you'll likely receive is to conduct one-on-one meetings with your team members. If you're an engineer, do you have regularly scheduled one-on-ones with your manager?
For the first 4-5 years of my managerial experience, I was casual about my one-on-one meetings. I would chat with the team over coffee or lunch, but less than 10% of the meetings were organised. Now, I realize what a huge mistake that was. Only during COVID did I start structured, scheduled one-on-ones with team members and soon realised the value they add. In this post, I will discuss the benefits and what I believe makes a good one-on-one, as well as what it should not be.
What it should not be:
Status Meeting: I've been part of meetings where the manager uses the time to ask about the status of all projects and then closes with areas to focus on. If you're running or participating in such meetings, you're wasting an hour every week.
Appraisal Meeting: Sometimes, one-on-ones are executed as mini-appraisal meetings, focusing solely on performance and improvement from the manager's perspective. While important, dedicating an entire hour to this purpose is unfruitful. Spend 10 minutes to asses the performance and its trend.
What it should be:
Think of one-on-ones as a weekly investment in the people who make up your team. Like any investment, consistent and regular time spent compounds over time and pays dividends in terms of trust, candidness, and influence. Be genuine.
Semi-Structured: While many new managers seek templates for their one-on-one meetings, I find such rigid formats mechanical and robotic. Your meeting should revolve around the person across the table (whether on Zoom or Google Meet). If you are determined to run the meeting in certain templated format, it defeats the purpose. While it's beneficial to have a broad agenda, always leave room for unstructured conversation about their interests, learning, health, vacation plans, etc. In the end, People wants to be heard and trusts someone who can relate to them in their interests and motivations.
Consistent: The first meeting to get canceled or rescheduled during a product crisis? One-on-ones. This sends the wrong signal to the team and misses an opportunity to gain their perspective. Now I believe the last thing you want to convey to your team member explicitly “You are not important” who might be responsible for solving the crisis or best placed to make sure the crisis does not repeat. In this scenario, what I started doing is to join the call, keep it shorter, explain them, ask them for their perspective. You can spend 30 minutes instead of 1 hour. This adds extra trust and the team member will appreciate the value and your openness.
Grapevine Killer: Grapevine is a powerful beast. If left unchecked, it can grow exponentially in your team and can result in long term inefficiency and drain all the trust equity. One-on-ones can effectively combat rumors and misinformation within your team, serving as a close second to team meetings in efficiency. There is no absolute way in which you can prevent people talking random information but if used correctly, you can use the same channel to spread the right and useful information. In the absence of information, people speculates and makes things up. It is better for you to provide the right information so that things stays controllable and real. Use this time to provide accurate information and address any concerns.
Candid Feedback: Use one-on-ones to understand what motivates your team members and their future aspirations. Provide feedback not only on short-term project outputs but also on long-term goals. Additionally, encourage feedback on your own performance. If your team member is expecting to be promoted next year, spend 5-10 minutes in every meeting with them on the skill gaps and discuss opportunities to improve or fill the gap. While it is the job of the team member to improve, you are equally responsible to provide the opportunities. Suggest or encourage them to have dedicated time on their calendar to work on achieving the goals.
Additional pointers:
Define Regular Cadence: Adjust the frequency of one-on-ones based on manager and team member tenure, as well as whether your setup is remote or physical. It should be minimum 30 minutes.
Set the Tone & Listen: Be empathetic, avoid defensiveness, and listen more than you talk. Offer clear answers and be willing to admit when you don't have one.
Be Flexible and Provide Perspective: Discuss work, careers, and hobbies, providing perspective where possible.
Evolve with Time: Observe what works and what doesn't, and personalize the format based on each team member.
It may seem like a lot of work, but as a leader, ensuring your team is motivated and energized is crucial for success. There's no better way to achieve this than through effective one-on-one meetings and team gatherings. Do it right and witness what a motivated team can achieve.