Skip to content

one on one

Jump to bottom
Christopher P. Brown edited this page Jul 18, 2020 · 3 revisions

is mutual teaching and exchange of information. By talking about specific problems and situations, the supervisor teaches the subordinate his skills and know-how, and suggests ways to approach things. At the same time, the subordinate provides the supervisor with detailed information about what he is doing and what he is concerned about.... A key point about a one-on-one: It should be regarded as the subordinate’s meeting, with its agenda and tone set by him.... The supervisor is there to learn and coach. The supervisor should also encourage the discussion of heart-to-heart issues during one-on-ones, because this is the perfect forum for getting at subtle and deep work-related problems affecting his subordinate. Is he satisfied with his own performance? Does some frustration or obstacle gnaw at him? Does he have doubts about where he is going?

src: Andy Grove of Intel, as quoted by John Doerr, "Measure What Matters"

Why

Purpose of a one-on-one:

  1. build trust
  2. create context
  3. plan goals and careers
  4. solve a problem

src: Resilient Management

1-on-1 Skills

  1. Mentor: Give advice based on your experience; do hands-onproblem solving together. Mentorship is great forpeople who are new to their role or the company.

  2. Coach: Ask open questions and offer reflections to help yourteammate explore a topic more deeply and find theirown answers. Coaching is ideal when you’re helping someone grow and sharpen their skills.

  3. Sponsor: Develop and assign your teammate stretch projectsand growth opportunities with more visibility. Sponsorthem to help them get to the next career level. Find opportunities to lead a team, research and return, or take your existing idea and take it a step or two further.

Feedback

The one-on-one is a good time to deliver feedback

Who

Managers should have regular, documented 1:1s with their teammates.

Additional optional 1:1s:

  • peer 1:1s
  • skip 1:1 -- teammate has meeting with manager's manager

Regular

Hold them regularly. Weekly may be too often. Monthly may be too infruequent. Every other week might be just right.

Documented

Keep 1:1 logs in a shared document.

Format

Example 1:

  • Beginning 5 - 10%: Share news, status, updates with each other.

  • Middle 80 – 90%: Mentor, coach, and sponsor your teammate, and give them feedback.

  • Ending 5 - 10%: Wrap up and name action items

(src: https://larahogan.me/resources/Balanced-One-on-Ones.pdf)

Example 2: The Flip

Teammate runs the one-on-one, and practices coaching, mentoring, etc. on the manager.

Questions

  • Are you getting enough sleep? (work/life balance)
  • How are you living out our core values? (core values)
  • Have you given / received any feedback recently? (feedback)
  • What's been helpful to you recently? (engagement)
  • What has been challenging / not fun for you recently? (engagement)

Further reading

Clone this wiki locally