Dreading your team 1:1’s? (This will help)
Do you have a consistent 1:1 meeting with each of your direct reports?
If you don’t - I highly recommend you do that.
They don’t have to be long, but they should be consistent. I’d recommend weekly or bi-weekly at a minimum.
I think there is a fear in all of our minds when we think about scheduling a re-occurring meeting in our calendar.
Like -
😣 UGH that’s more of my time being taken up in meetings
😣 I don’t like being bogged down
😣 I don’t have time for this
And all of those thoughts are fair.
BUT, I want you to ask yourself:
How would having a consistent 1:1 in my calendar actually SAVE me time, and OPEN me up for more freedom?
How much time am I currently spending… answering ongoing direct messages and emails, having ad hoc huddles and phone calls to answer questions or move things forward, chasing people down because I’m missing key information or need more support?
If you started to keep track of all of the time that goes towards supporting your team in an inconsistent and ongoing way during the week - my guess is it would amount to A LOT more time than a half hour 1:1 weekly huddle.
And so here are three tips for making the most out of your 1:1’s:
1. Have your staff member come up with the agenda for your time together and send it to you in advance. This helps to make sure you spend the time on the areas that will help them move forward AND builds their capacity to take leadership on the areas they’re responsible for.
2. Give your team member your full attention, listen deeply and ask great questions. This will show your staff that you care about what they have to say and you believe in their ability to create solutions.
3. Give recognition. Pick out a few things you’ve noticed about how well they’re doing and share it with them. People are a lot more motivated to do great work, when they know it’s being noticed and appreciated.
And that’s it.
1:1’s can be enjoyable, productive, and can lead to better relationships with your team.
Plus - I promise they’ll save you time.
