The Art of the 1:1: Part 1
A Quick Note
The idea for this blog post came directly from my clients and the common discussions we have around the 1:1 meeting. There is so much to say—enjoy this multi-part post which gives you actionable to-dos to cultivate an effective 1:1. Even if refining these meetings (for your direct reports or for the ones with your own supervisor) isn’t a thought right now, I’m confident you can apply some of these tips to any meeting you have!
Part 1: Digging into the “why”
Have you ever gone to a meeting expecting to walk away with a decision, but it turns into a discussion instead and you leave thinking, “ what did we decide?”
You showed up to make decisions, and your colleague showed up to innovate. Together you created the recipe for talking in circles.
In coaching conversations with clients hoping to grow their supervisory skills, the 1:1 discussion is always a topic—the ones they have with their direct reports, and inevitably, the ones they have with their own supervisor.
Folks rely on these regular meetings, but they aren’t always satisfied with how they are planned or used.
When the discussion turns to how these meetings can be more effective, my clients come to life in new ways. (Excitement in their voices, talking with their hands, animated facial expressions—the works!)
I see people tinker with the “operational” bits—like how long to schedule them and how often they should occur—but to be honest, the most important thing is getting clear on the purpose of the meeting and staying centered.
When your 1:1 is a “kitchen sink” of trying to do everything in an hour (or 30 minutes), it’s destined to be unsatisfactory for you and your direct report/supervisor.
Consider these questions:
Why is it important for us to meet? What do we need from one another? What is the central purpose of our meeting?
Chances are, if either or both of these items are unclear to everyone who attends, the meeting has the capacity to go off the rails and be inefficient.
The answers to these questions should illuminate the possible purposes of your 1:1 meetings and how the meeting topics can be organized and executed. (It’s possible your 1:1s have multiple purposes—that’s okay!)
Here are four common types of 1:1 meeting discussions:
Decision-making. These are meetings in which all parties have reviewed options beforehand and are coming to consensus on a plan of action. A successful decision-making meeting is one in which all relevant information has been reviewed, vetted, and a choice is made and planned. When you leave this meeting, everyone should have a “next step” with timelines and accountability plan. An example is if you and your team member are choosing a vendor or approving a contract or new program.
Innovation. Brainstorming. Getting creative. Being bold. In an innovation meeting, you and your staff are engaged in the Big Ideas discussions—dreaming, creating, and ideating. A successful innovation meeting has staff leaving to investigate the viability of the ideas generated. What sparks the innovation meeting can be a variety of things. There are no wrong answers.
Information sharing meetings. They can be short status updates or in-depth topics designed to educate. A successful information sharing 1:1 happens when people are told information in a way they can retain and use later as needed. These meetings cannot be someone whipping through items. It’s important to ensure everyone is tracking the information being shared to determine if a follow-up innovation or decision-making 1:1 would be helpful.
Solution-now meetings. A hybrid of innovation meetings and decision-making meetings, the purpose of these meetings is in response to an immediate and short-term problem and to develop and execute a solution. A successful solution-now meeting will see members leaving with confidence in the plans to lay existing problems to rest.
During my time as a VP, I found that my team members used their time with me differently. The purposes of the 1:1s varied by role, style of the staffer, and even by levels of experience. Some of them came with an agenda made for decision-making and deadlines and to-do lists, while others needed to innovate.
Knowing how my staff wanted to use their time helped me ensure I was supporting them in achieving their goals. Because we both understood what the meeting’s central purpose typically was, we could show up for one other and do our best work.
Tidying up the efficiency in your 1:1 meeting isn’t just purpose alignment! The other barrier I hear about from clients is agenda-setting. Who sets the agenda? How do they do it? We’ll dig into these questions and more in Part 2.
1 Comment
Teri Hall · November 9, 2023 at 6:02 pm
I also see 1-1’s as an opportunity to spend some time on the personal and professional development of staff members. I interact with staff daily to collaborate and make decisions but 1-1’s give us an opportunity to discuss what they are learning and how I can help them.
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