1:1s with Team Members
Explore strategies for conducting productive 1 on 1 meetings with team members. Learn to use these meetings to build trust, discuss growth, provide feedback, and recognize efforts. Understand key management mistakes to avoid and how to adapt your approach for individual team needs.
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It can be a misconception, especially among those new to management, that a 1:1 meeting is not important. Experienced managers know that 1:1s with their reports should be the most important meeting on their calendars. These meetings allow managers to build trust with their reports and lay the groundwork for productive and fulfilling working relations.
The primary purpose of a 1:1 meeting isn’t to gather status updates, explore technical discussions, or troubleshoot issues. Instead, it should be viewed as the team member’s dedicated time; an open space where they’re encouraged to share thoughts, concerns, goals, or anything else they find meaningful.
A manager’s responsibility during this conversation is to ask direct and indirect questions that allow them to understand the team members’ needs and alignment with their work. This will enable the manager to gauge whether or not the team member is happy with their work. Performance management and growth opportunities are also important topics to cover during a 1:1 meeting.
What is your philosophy and framework around 1:1s?
This is a typical question regarding 1:1s and can be asked in variations that look like this: ...