reco (our version of a quick tip): Try different structures for your 1–1 and try to find one that is most conducive to your working relationship.
Whether you’re the manager or the direct report, an effective 1–1 is important for any team no matter the size.
1–1s are a time to touch base on projects and to discuss any critical issues that may be top of mind for either person, but this time should also be spent learning about career aspirations and personal goals. The reality is that most 1–1s end up becoming a status update and you never talk about the more critical career pathing topics.
Here is a simple 60 minute 1–1 structure to try:
- 90 seconds of suffering (5 min)
- Moment of gratitude (5 min)
- Self high-five (10 min)
- Career goals (20 min)
- Personal goals (20 min)
90 seconds of suffering
Most weeks you’ll run into issues and sometimes it’s best to just let it all out. This is a moment to share what’s been bothering you and the only time that your comments can be unproductive. After these 90 seconds, all conversations should be constructive.
As a manager, you should make sure that anything that might be more on the alarming side is discussed and handled upfront.
Moment of gratitude
Studies show that gratitude is an emotion that can actually boost your happiness. This time is best used by sharing an anecdote or two about a colleague that helped you get closer to your goals or helped you overcome an obstacle. You should also keep track of who your allies are, as they’re likely the ones who can help speed up future projects with you.
As a manager, you should take note of those mentioned often as a thank you or some form of recognition goes a long way and builds camaraderie.
Self high-five
This time should be spent highlighting success and personal growth. This feel-good time allows you to brag about what you’re doing right. Make sure you don’t just give a one-line story here either if you accomplished something hard list out more details as to why it was hard so that recognition isn’t lost. You should keep track of your wins so that when performance review time comes around you will be able to quickly summarize your wins for the quarter, half-year, year.
As a manager, this is an opportunity to learn about what excites your team as they’ll only highlight the things they’re most proud of.
Goals
This should be where you spend the bulk of time. As a company/team you should have goals that you’re striving for and you should definitely talk through progress with all of them as well as the roadblocks that currently exist for each. The more structure that goes into this section, the better aligned the team will be. Progress should be shared in a way that is easily digestible and transparent with everyone else.
As a manager, this time should also be spent digging deeper into the direct report’s personal goals as a better understanding of those as a manager can help you motivate the team.
There are so many structures for 1–1s and ultimately as long as they include a time to touch on personal growth/career pathing they should help drive the great discussion you would expect to see. Keep in mind that 1–1s are not set in stone anywhere, so if you feel like you’re not getting enough from your 1–1, then you should switch it up.
Check out the resources below for more links on how to run your 1–1s:
- Article — How to Build Your Network (HBR)
- Article — How to Have Effective 1:1s (Radical Candor)
- Video — Teresa Amabile: Track Your Small Wins (99U)
If you’re looking for personalized career coaching that is simple and affordable, please sign-up for our waitlist at hellorees.com.
