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To have a successful one-on-one, let's discuss what you should expect to happen in that meeting.
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To best prepare for one-on-ones,
0:00
let's get an idea of what you
should expect in the meeting.
0:02
As a reminder, the agenda for
0:05
your one-on-one might differ slightly
depending on the company you work at.
0:07
Each company has its own culture and
structure.
0:11
I'll share some best practices for
successful one-on-one formats.
0:15
A one-on-one is scheduled either weekly or
bi-weekly between a manager and
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their direct report.
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They can either be 30 or 60 minutes.
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I've seen people have two
30-minute one-on-ones so
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they can meet at the start and
end of the week.
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Others prefer shorter,
"to the point" 30 minute one-on-one
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and some like to have 60 minutes to
cover and discuss their agenda items so
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it's not rushed.
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In this case, there's no right or
wrong choice.
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A manager and
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direct report should work together to
determine what works best for them.
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Personally, I'm a fan of a 60
minute weekly one-on-one, so
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I can touch base with my manager, even if
some weeks are a bit lighter than others.
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On the lighter weeks, our meeting
ends early and we both get time back.
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There have been times when I didn't
think I needed to discuss much, but
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ended up needing the whole time anyway.
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With time,
you'll figure out what works best for you.
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Once you have a regularly scheduled
meeting, you need to prepare for
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what will be discussed during it.
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This is why you'll want to have
a place where you keep an agenda for
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each one-on-one, as well as take notes and
potentially make commitments.
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There are many tools to choose from to
help you organize your meetings such as
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Asana or Culture Amp.
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You can even creatively use Google Drive
if you're unable to access those
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resources.
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Many companies have a tool that they asked
employees to use to track these meetings.
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If they do, that's awesome and it takes
a step out of the process for you.
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Which ever tool you end up using, take
some time to get comfortable with it so
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you can organize all the information
effectively for a successful meeting.
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From there,
you want to begin building out an agenda.
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Both the manager and
direct report will add to the agenda.
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However, the direct
report runs the meeting,
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because this is their time with their
manager to discuss whatever they like.
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I tend to think that 60 to
70% of the meeting is for
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the direct report to share,
ask questions, and discuss their agenda.
2:20
The remainder of the time is for the
manager to share their items, check in,
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and provide feedback.
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The meeting often starts with checking in.
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Depending on comfort levels,
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folks might have different experiences
of "non-work talk" in their one-on-one.
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It can be fairly simple with
discussions on how the family is or
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how their weekend was.
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Or it can include talking about TV shows,
sharing hardships or
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moments with your family and friends.
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There is no right or
wrong way to get to know one another.
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It depends on what you want to share.
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a one on one agenda will be a mix of
recurring topics and rotating topics,
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depending on what the direct report and
manager need to discuss.
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[SOUND] Rotating topics are areas
you want to discuss in that meeting
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but don't necessarily need
to talk about each week.
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For example, you may need some
clarity on a new project and
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only need to ask a few
questions to get started on it.
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Or maybe you had an idea or
suggestion you wanted to share, so
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it only needs to be
discussed in that meeting.
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[SOUND] Recurring topics are areas that
you would always like to touch base on,
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whether it's a long term project
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or something you think is
valuable to check on regularly.
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Here are some we recommend to always
have on the agenda for each one-on-one.
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Sharing wins.
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There should be a section for the direct
report to share any wins of the week.
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This can either kick off the meeting, or
be the last item to end on a high note.
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The purpose of the win section is to
recognize the contributions, big or
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small, that the direct report achieved.
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It can be anything from how they supported
another team member, quality of a project,
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finishing a task, and so on.
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This allows the direct
report to reflect and
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share with the manager
the excellent work they're doing.
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Once the direct report shares,
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I encourage the manager to share some
that the direct report might have missed.
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It always brings a smile to my face when
my manager acknowledges a win I might have
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overlooked.
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Challenges or support needed.
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This is another great
section to have weekly.
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Although the topics may rotate, it creates
a space to make sure the direct report has
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time to share any speed
bumps that have come up or
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where they might need additional support.
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This can look like sharing with your
manager that you're having difficulty
4:47
getting a response from another team
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or if you need more input on a project.
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I tend to think that this helps us create
norms around discussing challenges and
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needing help at a company, which
reduces the fear of making mistakes and
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results in better quality work.
5:04
Feedback.
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Having a section dedicated to feedback
also helps create a norm around giving and
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receiving feedback.
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This is the time when you'll want to
ask one another "What's working well?" or
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"What can be improved?"
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or you can just ask directly,
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"What feedback do you have for me?"
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We tend to think of feedback negatively,
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but by building it into one-on-ones,
we can re-frame it and
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use it as growth opportunities and
celebrations.
5:33
Workload.
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Toward the end of each meeting,
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my manager always asks me about my
workload to check on bandwidth.
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This was something I hadn't
experienced and had to get used to,
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but I've grown to appreciate it.
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My manager will ask me to rate my workload
to ensure that I'm not burning out,
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have enough resources and support to do my
job, and grasp how I'm feeling in my role.
5:55
It takes time to get comfortable
authentically sharing your workload.
6:00
As my manager showed support and
helped me through more challenging weeks,
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I became more inclined to share
when my workload was too much or
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when it was lighter, and
I felt I could take on more.
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Commitments.
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You'll want to have a space where you
can check on commitments you've made and
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add commitments as needed based on
the discussions in your one-on-one.
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Maybe one of you committed to reviewing
a document for the next meeting, or
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agreed to revisit a topic at another time.
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It will hold you both accountable and
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really build on trust when both of
you complete those commitments.
6:34
Personal development.
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In a separate meeting, a manager and
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direct report may work on
a personal development plan.
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This plan can include building on
a skill or working towards a promotion.
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In the one-on-one, you want to spend
just a short amount of time checking in
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on the current focus, what progress has
been made, and what next steps are needed.
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It ensures that you both are staying
on track for the direct report's goals.
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You might be wondering how you're
supposed to cover all these topics and
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more in a one-on-one.
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It's possible, I promise.
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I do it every week!
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Keep in mind that each subject
isn't a lengthy conversation.
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Some areas may take more time
in certain weeks, it'll vary.
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Quite honestly, there will be meetings
where you run out of time, too.
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If that does happen,
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spend the last few minutes scheduling
an additional time that week or
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determining which items are not urgent and
can wait until the following week.
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Make sure to check out the teacher's
notes for more information and
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best practices for a one-on-one.
7:40
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