Energize Your One-On-One's

One of the constants in any managers life is the One-On-One.

Years ago I started out seeing them as a speed bump during my day.  They slowed me down, made me less productive, and introduced me to a variety of situations that I wasn't quite sure how to handle, as I felt I would have never gotten myself into them.

This has changed over the past five years as I have recognized how important they are for my direct report, and then how much "juice" I get from them.

I have a certain flow that I would like to share.  It is pretty simple.  For a more detailed, and very nice PDF I found online click Manager Tools. Mark and Mike do a nice job.

I do most of my interactions over the phone as my team is spread out across the country.

1) Set the expectation that the direct report will kick things off with their own agenda.  I like to have it sent to me through email before the meeting.  This allows me to place it in the employees Evernote file, so I can take notes during the meeting.  I also like to see the order that their agenda is in, it lets me know what they feel is most important.

2) Ask some good questions about the points on the agenda.  I don't like to let the employee race through their items at breakneck speed, giving me an item's accomplished report.  I continually ask them to take it up a level and tell me how their actions help our department.  Are they talking to the right people, are they helping people, are they making friends and treating people right?  What is their strategy for the meeting, why is each person invited, what will tell them that the meeting they run is a win?  I try not to play 20 questions but I really learn a lot from their answers.

3) After they are completely done I run through my list.  It is usually a list of things that I am working on.  I explain what I am doing, who I am working with, and how finishing the project can help the department.  I believe that it is my responsibility to help the employee "see" a broader view, "feel" some energy from that view, and finally "act" to help finish the business.  I like ask their opinion, and check how they "see" things that are going on at my level.  Their comments aren't always actionable, but most of the time they say something that causes me to think a bit differently.

4) At the end of the meeting I run through the action items, and we close.

It's usually a 30 minute meeting.  Long enough to be a strong touchpoint, but short enough that we don't get into the favorite TV show, political view, or religion.