Most Important Meeting-Never Skip This One!
- Tiffani Bibb
- Aug 3, 2020
- 2 min read
We all know that some meetings are a drag…let’s be real, MOST! There is one meeting if done right, can be the best thing for your employee experience and your relationship with your manager (or team member if you are the manager). The 1:1 meeting is vital! There’s lots of research behind the benefits of these meetings and you can read that here. Let’s talk about the most important points of the 1:1 meeting so that you can make the best of your time. Here are my thoughts:
Goals-The most important this to do in 1:1 meetings is to review goals. Business moves fast and priorities change quickly. In order to keep up with the changes, it helps to revisit goals as often as needed. Another great benefit for you is to ensure you are working on the things that matter. There is nothing more frustrating than spending your time on a project only to learn that it is no longer important.
Obstacles-It is important for your manager to know what is standing in your way of success. Pro tip! Do not show up to your 1:1 with a list of problems and no solutions. Come prepared to solve problems WITH your manager and not expect them to solve them for you. This will show your leader that you can problem solve. Even better, you could learn through the solution process.
Decisions-What decisions need to be made to move forward and who is responsible for completing them. I think one important point to confirm is the level of autonomy you have if you are working on a specific project. This is a great opportunity to negotiate if you are ready to have more ownership but come prepared to prove your case!
Opportunities-Every conversation that you have with your manager (or team member) should be an opportunity to learn. Look for those learning moments as they may not be so obvious. If you and your manager are problem solving, and they are leaning more towards X solution than Y; ask why. This is an opportunity to gain insight into their decision making as well as other related events that may be going on in the organization. Finally, don’t fill up the meeting if possible. Have some time to ask your manager how other projects throughout the organization are going. Again, it may be an opportunity for you to offer insight or get involved on high visibility projects.
I hope these tips offer some guidance on adding value to your 1:1 conversation. If you are not having regular conversations with your manager, get on their calendars ASAP. If you find yourself just giving status updates; you have the power to change the meeting. I promise...your manager will be grateful. I am sure they are not getting anything out of the meeting if you aren’t.
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