Tips for Structuring 1:1 Meetings for Feedback

Let me fix your 1:1 meetings in 90 seconds. It only requires two changes: - Make it their meeting, not yours - Ask questions, don't give directions Here's how to do it: 1. Make It Their Meeting Relinquishing ownership of this meeting is the same as delegating any other work. - Define what excellent looks like - Hold them accountable - Coach to success - Don't step in But how do I get what I need to lead? That's part 2... 2. Good Questions >> Great Directions The easiest way to align on expectations is to preview the questions you want them to answer. If they can answer these well, you can have confidence that they are excellently managing their area (even individual contributors). Here are mine: ✅ How are you doing? Want people to produce outsized results? You need to care personally. You'll only know when to show up for them if you know them well. Get a tepid response? Ask again. ✅ What's most important for us to focus on? If it is their meeting, they set the agenda. Not only are you empowering them, but you also get to learn how they think. This will help you anticipate what they might miss. ✅ How are you tracking against your goals? I want data. Clear metrics. The more tangible, the better. If the goal isn't easily measured, then I want a few qualitative angles that are in tension to surface the truth. Don't be afraid to ask, "What is your confidence?" ✅ Are there notable Wins/Losses to discuss? The specific Win or Loss doesn't matter to me as much as: a) Can they separate big from small? b) Are they proactively sharing? My probing questions should uncover very little. ✅ What problems are you focused on solving? I don't expect perfection if we're driving hard and creating value. Instead, I want them to have command of their area. - Do they know the problems? - Do the solutions make sense? - Are they making good progress? ✅ How are your people doing? Your people are only as good as those that support them. Even individual contributors rely on others. Help them practice sizing up those around them. Make empathy a habit. ✅ How are you getting better? When your team is filled with curious and compounding professionals, the result is a team that's agile and resilient. To get there, you must coach those who coach others. ✅ How can I support your success? Hopefully, you've done this throughout the conversation, but it never hurts to ask them directly, "What else do you need to win?" - Remove obstacles. - Provide resources. - Repeat often. If you want access to the management dashboard template I used to delegate my 1:1 meetings, subscribe to my MGMT Playbook for free access. https://lnkd.in/eAA-CJrJ You get dozens of playbooks and templates for critical management moments. It's the advice your boss should be giving you but probably isn't. P.S. Repost to share this with your network ♻️. And follow Dave Kline for more great posts.

I stopped performing annual reviews. 99% of the time they don’t increase actual performance.  Give me 2 minutes. I'll show you what I did instead: 👇 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 • Break free from traditional annual reviews. • Be a year-round coach, not a once-a-year judge. • Continuous feedback, like a sports coach, is key. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 • Avoid misalignment with clear, measurable goals. • Limit to 3 major goals. • Employees set personal goals aligning with these. • Focus: 80% on these goals, 20% on everything else. 𝗠𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝟭𝘅𝟭 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 • Essential for ongoing feedback. • Ideal timing: 60 minutes every two weeks. • Discuss progress on top 3 goals. • Address blockers & celebrate successes. 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗜𝗻𝘀 • Extend a regular 1x1 to 90 minutes quarterly. • Explore the employee’s broader career aspirations. • Discuss quarterly performance. • Checkin on personal development (see next) 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 • Traditional reviews list too many improvement areas. • Focus on ONE key area for yearly improvement. • Agree on the area together. • Review progress in quarterly sessions.    👇 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 For 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 1. Make every 1x1 a coaching opportunity. 2. Consistently give feedback or praise. 3. Avoid canceling 1x1s – they're crucial. 4. Repeated mistakes may indicate a poor fit. 5. Link bonuses to both company and individual goals (50/50 split). Ditch the bureaucracy and transform performance management into a tool for real feedback and personal growth! 📈 _____ Enjoy this? Repost to your network and follow me Scot Chisholm for more! 📌  P.S. I'm writing about how to delegate like a pro this Friday to all my newsletter subscribers. Sign up here: scotchisholm.com  

When I do 1:1s with my reports, I explicitly tell them, “No status updates”. We have emails, slack channels, and team meetings (ideally as the pre-read, not the meeting itself) for status updates. Our 1:1 is for you. At all times, I’ve got a mental model of how you are doing in each of the PM competency areas* . I know what types of projects I can steer or delegate to you, either because it’s a strength of yours or because it’s something to get better at. I also know (because I’ve asked you!) what your career goals are, so I can fold that into our conversations and opportunities. I also have a 1:1 agenda doc that we both have access to. Throughout the week, either of us can pop in there and add a keyword or phrase to the doc, to remind ourselves of the thing to talk about. Our agenda topics usually fall into these categories: 1. Relationship and trust building — what makes you tick, what feels rewarding, what is scary, and why? My goal, in addition to getting to know you better, is to create a psychologically safe environment that allows you to be vulnerable so that you actually tell me this stuff, tell me bad news when you learn it, and ask for help. 2. Coaching and reinforcement — what happened in the last week that showcased a theme we’ve been working on? What was a time when you did something awesome (or at least, better) that we want to celebrate*? 3. “How can I help?” — you want my help solving some problem, or have some question in search of an answer. Or maybe the reverse: I’ve noticed a problem that I want you to solve (or, I have something that I want your help solving), or I have a question that you may be able to answer. But before all of that, I’m opening with “How are you?” Sometimes, your answer makes clear that we’re going to do none of our agenda because of Feelings* . You’re pissed that other people are getting in the way, you’re anxious about the latest layoff rumor, you’re scared after a meeting with Exec that went poorly. I’m listening, asking questions, engaging, validating your feelings*. I will make a snap call — are you open to problem solving the situation in this meeting, or should we come back to it another time? Emotional attunement (with boundaries!) is the answer, once again. (Thank you, Dan Storms, for requesting this topic!) —————— *If you’re interested in reading the footnotes as well as my work-in-progress thoughts (today: why are so many managers bad at managing?), sign up for my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/g44P3_rB

“How do I make my 1:1s with my manager more impactful?” is a question I commonly get from mentees. Too often, these meetings become simply a reporting of activities completed in the previous week. As one mentee jokingly shared, it can sometimes feel like telling your parents what you did at school that day. 😄 That’s not quite the best use of time for either you or your manager, even though keeping your manager informed *is* important. So how do you achieve the goal of sharing information but also balancing it out with some strategic discussions? Try the PPP framework, which I learned from the brilliant Brinda Mehta Malvi. PPP stands for: - Plans and priorities for the week - Progress and highlights from last week - Problems and open Qs or roadblocks you anticipate or might need help with. This allows for you and your manager to align on priorities for the week ahead. You can surface any highlights and wins for their awareness. And it allows you both to proactively talk through any future risks. Now your 1:1 goes from one-way reporting to rich discussions at a more strategic level. It’s win-win for both of you. If you give it a try, will you let me know if it helps? #leadership #1on1

Want to have great 1-on-1 meetings in your company? Here are my 5 ✋ favorite things that I’ve seen from my 16 years of hosting 1-on-1 meetings, both as a direct report and a boss. 1. The best 1-on-1 meetings are actually led by the direct report. Come with an agenda that proactively covers your agreed upon objectives and KPIs and manage up. Know your numbers and be ready to speak to them, because this is a quick way to gain respect in an organization. 2. The best 1-on-1s are collaborative conversations and not trials. The direct report is not facing a jury. If there’s a lack of momentum, a gap in core value alignment or a miss on metrics, the first characteristic (above) will reveal it and you can coach or correct from there. 3. Cover metrics and housekeeping first and then use remaining time to collaborate on big rocks or tasks. They’ll see how you problem solve in real time. And setting a standard that the direct report must be perfect or know everything on their own isn’t healthy. Open the floor for collaboration and watch the buy-in and momentum takeoff. 4. Taking notes isn’t optional. Taking notes is a sign of respect. When people write something down, it displays that the listener is engaged and that the ideas discussed are relevant to participants. (Writing something down when someone says something is the ultimate sign of respect and you might as well have given the speaker a big gift.) 5. Don’t forget to set aside time to check on your direct reports. I often start my meetings with a quick temperature check & ask if there’s anything I can do to help with obstacles that might be in the way of helping them succeed at work. **Sometimes the best way to help the direct report & your team is to simply reschedule the meeting for the next day after getting feedback during the quick temperature check. They’ll remember the gesture & if they’re the right employee…you will never feel a set back on project traction. #leadership #marketing #sales #construction #manufacturing #industrial #commercial