Unleashing Potential: Mastering the Art of Impactful 1-on-1 Meetings

One on one meetings are often booked but rarely had, especially within busy teams. Between project deadlines, time constraints, communication breakdowns, or lack of accountability, sometimes these regularly scheduled meetings are pushed to the wayside. Many leaders want better productivity, efficiency, communication, and time management from their team, but yet overlook and undervalue the importance of one-on-one meetings. What many fail to realize is that when working in a team, you’re all in this together!

Understanding the Purpose:

So, why have these meetings in the first place? One-on-one meetings serve so many purposes beyond just taking up calendar space. They provide an opportunity to address individual concerns, provide feedback, set goals, and offer guidance and support. By dedicating time to your team members, you demonstrate that you value their growth and development, ultimately increasing their motivation and engagement.

Engaging and Building Trust:

To have effective one-on-one meetings, it is crucial to create a safe and open environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns. Actively listen, show empathy, and validate their experiences. Building trust requires consistent communication, confidentiality, and a commitment to follow through on any commitments made during the meetings. You don’t want to be hearing about your team’s concerns or complaints from someone else.

Meaningful Conversations:

One-on-one meetings should go beyond surface-level discussions. Encourage your team members to reflect on their work, challenges, and aspirations, and do the same for yourself as a leader. Ask open-ended questions that promote deeper thinking and self-reflection.

Example Self-Reflection Questions for Leaders:

What do you want to learn and why? How does the information from these meetings impact and support your team’s goals and direction?

Am I actively listening to my employees during our one-on-one meetings? If not, how can I ensure I can work towards being able to do so?

Do I create a safe and open environment for my employees to share their thoughts and ideas? Do I end up hearing about things from my employees directly, or other sources?

Am I setting clear goals and expectations for our one-on-one meetings?

How well am I tracking progress and following up on action items discussed during our one-on-one meetings?

Example Questions to Ask Employees:

What have been your wins and challenges this week? How can I support you on tackling these challenges?

What progress have you made towards your goals since our last meeting? Is there anything specific you'd like to discuss or seek guidance on?

What kind of support or resources do you need to succeed right now?

How are you feeling about your workload and priorities? Is there anything we can do to better allocate resources or adjust deadlines to support your productivity?

Are there any areas where you would like to further develop your skills or knowledge?

Remember – you know your team best. These questions are a great way to get the ball rolling, but personalizing and adapting these questions to your team’s needs is really the best way to get the most from these sessions.

Tracking Progress:

Effective one-on-one meetings involve tracking progress and holding each other accountable. Set clear goals and expectations during these meetings and regularly revisit them to assess progress. Discuss achievements, challenges, and potential adjustments to goals or strategies. This practice helps foster a sense of ownership, responsibility, and continuous improvement. This can look like creating timelines with deadlines, weekly meetings related to specific projects, or other ways of tracking progress that work for your company.

Highlighting the Importance:

Remember that one-on-one meetings are not a luxury but a necessity and an investment in your team's effectiveness. When team members feel supported and heard, they are more likely to excel in their roles, reducing the need for micromanagement (no one wants to be the workplace helicopter parent!) This, in turn, frees up your time to focus on strategic initiatives and other critical tasks.

Building Confidence and Expertise:

Consistent one-on-one meetings provide opportunities to build confidence and expertise within your team. By actively listening, providing guidance, and delegating responsibilities, you empower your team members to take ownership of their work and become the experts themselves. Over time, they become more self-reliant, allowing you to trust their abilities and focus on higher-level responsibilities.

When I was working with my team in a previous role, one-on-one meetings were critical to my team’s success. It truly allowed me to let go and let my team thrive, as they were the ones who knew the ins and outs of the projects they were working on – not me. They always knew that they had dedicated time to celebrate wins, bring up challenges, and ask for support and resources when they needed to. It allowed for less stress, more balanced workloads, and made it so people actually wanted to come to work!

From increased employee satisfaction, skill-building, freeing up leadership time, and improving communication, frequent and consistent one-on-one meetings are an underutilized goldmine for teambuilding and success. Knowing what to ask, when to ask it, providing support, and following through are crucial to building trust, confidence, and expertise among your employees. Ultimately, investing in your team's growth and development benefits everyone.