Effective 1-on-1s
- Iegor Bakhariev (Unlicensed)
Analytics
Why 1-on-1s are so damn important?
For you to:
Understand the resource of the team-member
Understand the environment inside the team
Check on the team’s KPIs and adjust them accordingly
See the drawbacks in the processes
React to negative or positive content performance
Give continuous feedback on the work of the team
1-on-1s are equally as important for the team member.
For the employee to:
Give feedback on your work
Share their worries
Share achievements or problems inside the team
Hear feedback on their work
Understand where the project is headed and what you want from them
Remember to give a chance for the person to get answers to all these questions. Maybe not during one meeting, but at least for the pressing issues.
A few tips on how to get the most out of 1-on-1s
Prepare a list of things you would want to discuss during the call. Should not be too many. You can categorise them into:
Personal
Performance
Team
Sometimes it’s fine to go without any particular topic. In this case, you want to ask more questions and listen to the employee.
2. You have to be prepared to ask questions.
Only through asking questions you can understand the core of a problem.
It’s better to ask the question when it arises. Because things might slip your mind, the person will be able to prepare a more “diplomatic” answer, and you won’t know the core at the end.
3. You should know the answer to the question: why? who? and what?
When you’re giving a task, changing something, or giving feedback, you should be able to satisfy the employee with all the answers.
Do not switch the topic before making sure you’re on the same page.
4. You have to sell.
When explaining something to the person, make sure to explain the importance of a certain action that will be clear to them.
Different people think in different terms, and some speak the language of numbers, some talk motivation. Hence, how you sell should depend and who the subject is.
5. Most of the 1-on-1s happen outside the meeting.
You have to monitor and analyse how the employee does their work and communicates. If you see that it differs from what you agreed to, or sounds off, speak about it.
If you want to point out a particular mistake, make sure you know exactly what the situation is, as questions about it from different parties and be diplomatic while delivering your feedback.