Best Practices for One-on-One Coaching Meetings

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

When people come to us with a problem, it is tempting to provide an instant answer. After all they came for our expertise and there is nothing so rewarding as getting a dopamine hit in our brain when we know the answer. Ahhh. Such fun.   However, the path to accountability is filled with asking good questions and creating space for others to think and solve rather than us providing answers.   Often just by asking the questions below, an individual will have a breakthrough and discover a solution on their own.   FOCUS QUESTIONS ON THEIR INSIGHT These questions can be applied to executive meetings, coaching employees, and solving our own problems.   1.    What is the problem you are trying to solve? It is so tempting to skip this step, but it is essential if you want to create ownership. I find I have to help people step back from their need for a quick answer and help them understand the context of their problem. When you help them frame the problem, the problem is often half solved.   2.    What are the main obstacles to solving the problem? Gaining context to where and how the problem exists provides guidelines for what the eventual solution will be. Without this clarity, they can create an overly simplistic or complex answer.   3.    What have you already tried? Avoid the temptation to jump in and give advice. They don’t need it. Most people have already done a lot of thinking and attempts before asking for input.   4.    What happens if you don't solve this problem? This question helps create a deeper sense of urgency and ownership. It also reveals key issues that the final solutions will have to solve for.   5.    How would you know you succeeded? The answer gives the parameters and evidence needed to know a solution would be a success. Without this answer, their solution is unlikely to meet all the needs.   6.    What do you think you need to succeed? The focus is on the individual’s ability to think and act. They are creating answers for the future. They are becoming better problem solvers and being more accountable.   MAKE SPACE As I ask these questions, I work hard to not fill in the silence with my insights. I do have ideas on what they should do. But I will never make them more accountable if I keep sharing my expertise. Each of us can create a more accountable workplace by the space we create to help others think. How do you create more accountability? embrace your #pitofsuccess Dave Ulrich Neil Hunter Tracy Maylett, Ed.D. Tyson Lutz Destanee Casillas, MSOD Gwendolyn F. Turner Lisa Strogal, MBA, MCC, RYT Vanessa Homewood Tia Newcomer Clint Betts Chris Deaver Gina London Joy Moore Kendall Lyman

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.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲-𝗼𝗻-𝗢𝗻𝗲𝘀? . . . 💫When you become a manager or leader, your responsibility shifts. Your role isn’t to maximize the potential for the work; it’s to maximize the potential of those around you.   💫Having one-on-one meetings is an excellent chance to have routine discussions about professional growth, and if conducted effectively, these regular check-ins can increase engagement, accomplishments, and employee retention. Additionally, one-on-ones serve as the basis for top-performing teams.   🚩Yet so few leaders fulfill this core responsibility, and no one should consider themselves a leader if they can’t commit time and effort to improve the abilities of their team members.   👉Recommendations for effective one-on-ones:   ✅Prepare Well: Go over previous notes or, if first time, request they fill out a survey with open-ended questions, complete an online tool to identify their strengths, or use other templates to gain some insight before the meeting.   ✅Proper Schedule: Ensure they have proper time to prepare and the meeting doesn’t conflict with a hectic or stressful time for them.   ✅Use Open Space: Sometimes, being away from the workplace can lighten the mood and improve the conversation.   ✅Set the Agenda Beforehand: Facilitate the conversation to stay on focus.   ✅Let the Team Member Lead: Don’t deliver a monologue; this approach isn’t very effective. Instead, let team members set the tone. Remember, it’s only about them!   ✅Encourage Self-Awareness: Help them become more introspective by asking the right questions.   ✅Be Open-Minded: Their view of their future may differ from what you think is best for them. Don’t let your experiences and biases overtake their passions and ambitions.   ✅Pay Attention to Their Well-Being: Team member well-being may not be tended to, which can impact their ability to consider signing up for a mentorship program or training opportunity.   ✅Build Trust: Managers must recognize their limitations and provide accurate information to build trust and connection with team members and create a supportive work environment.   ✅Be an Active Listener: Pay attention, ask questions, summarize, and ensure no distractions!   ✅Take Notes: Keeps track of the conversation for revisiting progress in the next session. But don’t violate the previous point! Write notes when appropriate or after the meeting so as not to distract.   ✅Revisit Previous Goals: Did the team member pursue mentorship or certification? How are you supporting?   ✅End on a Positive Note: Motivate them at the end of every meeting and pave the way for a positive working environment!   🔥It requires dedication and focus to initiate discussions on team member growth during one-on-one meetings. However, these personalized discussions are invaluable for creating customized learning and development plans that can significantly enhance and nurture talent!

If your one-on-ones are primarily status updates, you're missing a massive opportunity to build trust, develop talent, and drive real results. After working with countless leadership teams across industries, I've found that the most effective managers approach 1:1s with a fundamentally different mindset... They see these meetings as investments in people, not project tracking sessions. Great 1:1s focus on these three elements: 1. Support: Create space for authentic conversations about challenges, both professional and personal. When people feel safe discussing real obstacles, you can actually help remove them. Questions to try: "What's currently making your job harder than it needs to be?" "Where could you use more support from me?" 2. Growth: Use 1:1s to understand aspirations and build development paths. People who see a future with your team invest more deeply in the present. Questions to explore: "What skills would you like to develop in the next six months?" "What parts of your role energize you most?" 3. Alignment: Help team members connect their daily work to larger purpose and meaning. People work harder when they understand the "why" behind tasks. Questions that create alignment: "How clear is the connection between your work and our team's priorities?" "What part of our mission resonates most with you personally?" By focusing less on immediate work outputs and more on the human doing the work, you'll actually see better performance, retention, and results. Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #leadershipdevelopment #teammanagement

Looking to make the most of your 1:1s with your manager/direct report? People often confuse 1:1 with “status report.” But the truth is, a status report can be shared over Slack. Meetings — especially ones between a manager and direct report — should be leveraged for those more nuanced topics, where a quick Slack message just won’t do the trick. If you’re a manager, this is your time to shine as an advocate and coach, while catching underlying issues before it’s too late. Here’s a list of topics to start prioritizing in your 1:1s (with a few sample questions to get you started): 🧠 EQ check - On a scale of 1 - 10, how stressed are you right now? - On a scale of 1 - 10, how motivated do you feel when you start each day? - On a scale of 1 - 10, how satisfied are you with your job right now? - What are you most excited about at work right now? ⌚️Optimization check - What’s eating up the most of your time right now? - What is your biggest blocker? - What are you struggling with the most? - What would make your day-to-day 10% easier? 🏋️♀️ Career coaching: - Let’s explore your top growth areas / opportunities. - Let’s explore opportunities to take on new tasks / responsibilities. - What new things would you be curious to learn or explore? - Let’s discuss how you’re performing against the expectations of your role. You don’t have to hit each of these topics every time, but prioritizing 1 or 2 of them will help ensure you and your manager/report are making the most out of your time together and addressing some of the higher impact, more critical issues outside of the usual status update. 👉 For more helpful manager Qs, download my full list here: https://lnkd.in/ezEFPdBy What Qs did I miss? #hr #hrbp #managers

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  

Here’s yet another dilemma that comes up with execs, one that we also hear with the Sr. Directors/VPs who attend “Cracking the C-Suite,” the class I co-teach with Ethan Evans: "How do you install accountability without micromanaging?" Here’s the one-word answer: COACH. Here's the one-sentence answer, in case you want to stop reading now 😀: SET really HIGH EXPECTATIONS and COACH like hell. First, how do you make TIME for coaching? Like other activities (e.g., networking, exercising, strategic thinking) that seemingly aren't a part of your "real job," coaching needs to be calendared. Putting coaching in the calendar takes on two flavors: 1) 1-1's—You probably already have weekly or bi-weekly 30-minute meetings with your directs. I bet most of those meetings are for getting caught up on projects. Use some of the time to coach, not just get updates. 2) Put in 30 minutes after team meetings for more spontaneous interactions (i.e., ask one of your directs to stay back). In either time scenario, one of your actions as a coach is to give FEEDBACK on performance. Just like with an athletics coach, the more feedback you give, the more chance there is for change. Try asking these questions first: 1) "What worked well?" (i.e., in that sales call with the customer) 2) "What didn't work so well?" 3) "What could you do next time?" Important: Add your feedback AFTER you have heard from your direct. This forms the basis for a good coaching relationship: you're asking direct questions, they're responding, and you're sprinkling in your POV. You are not primarily "telling"; thus you're avoiding that "micromanaging" tag. Asking good questions and continuing to probe is easier said than done because our tendency is to go fast, and get through these meetings quickly. If you don't want to get annoyed or be annoying, clear your distractions and be present with your directs. Besides giving clear feedback, other times your role is more of a guide to PROBLEM-SOLVE with your directs. These situations are more intractable and often involve your skips (i.e., your direct is having a hard time with one of their directs' performance). Note: You're teaching your direct how to fish, not catching the fish for them! In these cases, when you're guiding, try asking these questions: 1) "What is the situation you're in?" (i.e., direct isn't prioritizing very well, and the team is falling behind) 2) Tell me more about the history (of the situation). 3) What have you tried so far (to remedy the situation)? 4) What could you try next (to solve the problem)? Readers: How do you make time for coaching in your busy day, in order to hold your directs accountable? ——— Want to chat more about a leadership dilemma? Happy to help: https://lnkd.in/gvaJrMVY

Your 1:1 meeting with your Manager is YOUR meeting, so take control and set the agenda. As a leader I love when my direct reports come prepared for our 1:1 meetings - Great CSMs understand that this time is their time, with their leadership team, to discuss what's important to them. Step 1, make sure you have a recurring 1:1 with your leader on the calendar. I am still shocked to hear from CSMs (or any employee) that they don't have regular recurring meetings scheduled. It doesn't have to be 60 minutes every week but find a cadence and duration that work well for the both of you. Leaders will likely have a few things that they want to discuss, so perhaps split the time; give each person an opportunity to discuss what's most important to them. But as a CSM, don't expect your manager to drive this meeting, it's for you, not them. Here's an easy way to manage these 1:1's - Grab a Google Doc (or Word Doc) and create a meeting template for each week - Include the date and then have this agenda framework: 1) Personal Updates - How are you doing this week? 2) Feedback - Solicit feedback from your manager 3) Highs / Lows - What went really well this week and what didn't 4) Business Performance - How are you tracking towards your KPIs or OKRs 5) Customers - Which customers need to be discussed this week; who's doing well or who's struggling; Great time to escalate 6) Career Pathing - Perhaps not a topic for each week but add this every so often to make sure you are both on the same page Fill in each agenda topic with a few bullets to discuss - this does not need to be lengthy, you are going to have a discussion so there is no need to write everything out. Under that put both your names - each of you can add things that don't fit into the areas above but need time to discuss. Easy peasy. This is valuable time for the both of you so use it wisely.