When you have just had a highly productive 1-1 meeting with a team member, you know it. You’ve experienced a sense of connection and a feeling of accomplishment. The discussion has strengthened the relationship and helped you make progress on your results.
What occurs in a productive 1-1 that causes it to stand apart from those that were duds?
Here are 5 things that are different.
1) Clarity
Meeting time is limited. No matter how much time you allocate, it will always be limited. Recognizing this, both manager and team member come prepared. No one wings it. Each person has decided on which topics need to be discussed in limited time. They make choices on what NOT to talk about and this gives them clarity needed to focus on what matters most.
2) Dialogue
An effective 1-1 is employee-driven and manager-led. It’s a back and forth. It’s being actively engaged. It’s not a download of information from a manager nor is it an update. Updates are one-way communications and can be done through other channels. An effective 1-1 is a two-way discussion that starts with the team member giving their views first and manager giving their views second. Every time.
3) Respect
Respect is demonstrated not only through words but through numerous non-verbal actions. The meeting is rarely rescheduled, and it starts on time. The manager is sincerely interested in their team member’s views and is open to, and curious about, views that are different than their own. Managers ask good questions and are willing to change their minds. Respect is demonstrated through active listening, creating a comfortable environment for concerns, new ideas or solutions to emerge.
4) Candor
Candor is directness and respect combined. Clarity increases directness and respect prevents directness from being insensitive or rude. Being candid gets tougher issues addressed, fosters change and enables constructive feedback to be considered.
5) Progress
A productive 1-1 has next steps that have been mutually agreed upon. It feels like time well spent because it was. As a result of the discussion, something new happened. Perhaps it was learning valuable information, gaining a new insight, adopting a different approach, or creating an action plan. In short, a relevant outcome occurred that wouldn’t have existed if not for the discussion.
This doesn’t mean that every 1-1 discussion feels good however it does mean that every discussion feels alright. The fact is that some of the discussions are tough ones. Discussing a high-visibility project that is derailed is complex. Talking about performance that isn’t meeting the mark can be unnerving. These types of discussions will still have these five characteristics and the presence of these 5 elements will ensure that the 1-1 time is put to good use and everyone benefits from that.
