I’m a bit torn. I read a statistic today that only 24% of employees believe their managers show up to their 1:1 meetings well-prepared. The other 76%? “Somewhat prepared,” “not prepared,” or “not prepared at all.” The article also said there should be a clear agenda and a coherent set of questions. I’m torn because I never prepare advance questions and I don’t change the agenda for my 1:1 meetings. Why? It’s not my meeting. It’s a meeting for the person on the other side of the table. 1:1 meetings, in my view, are a chance for your team member to have your full attention about emergent work or non-work matters. It’s not a time for you to “get the download.” This meeting isn’t for you. When I was doing more traditional 1:1 meetings (the ones I have now are a bit different) I opened it up with a open ended question and then I listened. Along the way I asked related questions based on what I was hearing. I was listening for what mattered to them, the obstacles they were facing, what was wrong with the work or the team or whatever, and much more. I was listening as much to the subtext as to the words. In my case showing up well-prepared meant I turned off the phone, the computer, and shut the door. It meant I was fully present. For a successful 1:1, focus on them.
With your teams, don’t get out of the way, do this instead
"Get out of the way!" I often hear some version of this sentiment when talking about building a culture to incentivize high performance teams. "You have to find the right people, equip them, and then get out of the way." People who talk about getting out of the way...