You Need Reliable Structure to Have Badass 1:1s

On-on-one meetings with your reports are an opportunity to check on the state of your operations, which is why you’re responsible for ensuring they’re substantive and valuable. The manager’s role isn’t simply to show up, or even to reliably address whatever the employee needs. It’s to gauge how things are going with this operator, then accordingly provide what’s needed so they successfully deliver outcomes that obtain your objectives.

When you go into a 1:1 with the right mindset, context, and intentions, using a consistent and reliable one-on-one structure, versus constantly surviving a weekly tornado of topics, helps you properly assess progress and development over time. It keeps you focused and on task, let’s you more effectively compare and contrast across your team, and - if necessary - facilitates transitions.

Whether you structure 1:1s thematically, like the resource below, or functionally by project or responsibility, make sure that 1:1s give both you and your report the time and space to:

• GIVE what you each need to share with the other

• GET what you each need to receive from the other, and

• Identify ways to BUILD or improve over time (and, ideally, also build personal rapport)
  

You can leverage Learning Serg’s One-on-One Agenda Structure (below) as a ready-to-use resource, or as a starting point which you and your report(s) can evolve over time into a structure that works for you.

For more insight on how to have a Badass 1:1, check out the Learning Serg’s YouTube and Instagram.

Learning Serg’s One-on-One Agenda Structure & Guidance

1. HIGH-LEVEL CHECK-IN / LOOK BACK
   How did the past week go? What could each of us do differently to achieve better outcomes this week?

   Starting with an open-ended look-back gives your report the autonomy to drive, and you the ability to ask questions and probe. It lets you take stock (i.e., get updates), and helps you both reflect and learn. Conversation can naturally transition into mutual feedback aimed to improve outcomes (vs. share critiques or grievances). With the right intention, you set a productive tone, and make feedback a standard, low-stress practice.

2. EMPLOYEE CHECK-IN
   What does the employee need (a) to know; (b) help with; (c) engagement on; or (d) a decision on?

   This is an opportunity for two-way conversation focused on what the employee needs to succeed over the coming days. The manager may give business or organizational updates relevant to the employee’s priorities, as well as build insights or coaching on their team or performance. The employee may need to get engagement on escalations, decisions or confirmations, removal of roadblocks, problem solving, or other guidance.

3. TEAM CHECK-IN (applicable if you manage a manager)
   How is the employee’s team? What’s going well? What worries them?

   You should know the good, bad, and ugly of your report’s team (i.e., your skip-levels). You should both be clear on how they’re doing and what they need—hopefully avoiding surprises. More specifically, you should get a sense if your report has a reliable, well-rounded, and current view of their team’s operations, and help them develop as a manager. And your report should get your support or guidance to address their team’s needs.

4. MANAGER CHECK-IN
   What does the manager need (a) to know; (b) help with; (c) engagement on; or (d) a decision on?

   A portion dedicated to what the manager needs to succeed can very quickly turn into a one-way conversation. In addition to getting anything not previously discussed (e.g., support with net new asks, appropriate delegation of work, special requests), be sure to ask questions that will empower your employee to give you insights, especially feedback that can help you improve how you show up for them.

5. PLANNING & TAKEAWAYS / LOOK FORWARD
   What are (and should be) the respective priorities for the upcoming week?

   The meeting isn’t over until there’s a plan for the coming week. As the manager, you should ensure that your report is adequately focusing their time on their big priorities, and that your takeaways will best support their ability to successfully deliver on those priorities.

Watch our video series on How Managers Can Have Badass 1:1s