Saturday, April 9, 2022

1:1s - Starter Pack



Resources and notes on running effective 1:1s. 

May they save you some Googling 🫡


 Top Resources


The Basic Tactics

  • 1 running Google Doc per report
  • Add your weekly template to the doc 
  • Copy/paste your weekly template immediately after every 1:1 so you're ready for next week
  • Whenever some good, bad, ugly happens during the week that you want to acknowledge, make a note


There are 4 Purposes of 1:1s

  • Listen / Learn - Catch smoke signals, understand where counterpart is at 
  • Cheer - Uncover wins, acknowledge wins, get excited 
  • Support (tactical) - Unblock, diagnose, suggest clear actions
  • Develop - Learn where want to grow / develop in long-term sense 


These are the Core Principles

  • Scheduling 
    • Maintain a dedicated, weekly time
    • Do not move or reschedule, except at your report's request
  • Preparation 
    • Arrive prepared
    • Some reflection to consider
      • What did my report do well this past week? 
      • What do they need to work on? (Keep a running list that will come in handy during performance review season).
      • Does the person I'm managing feel invested in your company or team goals? Why should he/she be? 
      • Have I clearly explained the vision or goals, and his/her part in achieving them?
      • Does my direct report understand what he/she is supposed to do? How to do it
  • Holding 
    • Arrive prepared with talking points & questions, but follow your counterpart’s lead


3 Types of 1:1s to watch for… 

  • The update (all clear!) - This is a good conversation or normal high-quality 1:1.
  • The vent (somethings up…) - Essentially a therapy session. This most often comes in the form of your report being pissed off about something. You just have to listen, not actually do anything.
  • The disaster (oh dear…) - They’re freaking out, they’re going to quit, etc. This is the advanced form of the vent.


Question Bank to Get Folk's Talking

Openers
  • How Are You?
  • Where's your head at this week?
  • How are you feeling?
  • What’s top of mind for you right now?
  • What priorities are you thinking about this week?
Listen / Learn
  • What was the best part of this week?
  • How happy were you this past week?
  • Which part of your work is most fun? Least fun?
  • What area are you most satisfied with? Least satisfied with?
  • Is there anything you'd like to ask or highlight?
  • What can I help with between now and the next time we meet?
Support
  • What is biggest challenge you are facing right now?
  • What does he/she need from me or other colleagues?
  • Is he/she encountering bottlenecks? Are those localized or systemic? If they’re systemic, do I need to address this bigger picture?
  • Challenges - Last time we spoke you said X was challenging for you, how’s that going?
  • For a project X ( These get at the root of the problem and what can be done about it.)
    • What does your ideal outcome look like?
    • What’s hard for you in getting to that outcome?
    • What do you think is the best course of action?
    • What’s the worst-case scenario you’re worried about?
    • [Tools: 5 Whys, SCQA, RAPID]
  • General work 
    • What’s the split of your time today between X/Y/Z? What would you like to spend more/less time on?
    • How do you go about prioritizing your work?
    • How productive were you this past week?
    • What are the biggest time wasters/savers?
    • What’s harder than it should be?
Develop
  • What Are You Looking Forward to Working on Next?
  • What motivates you?
  • What is missing? training, right scope, right authority, right resources and enough time to do as you need?
  • What has energized/challenged you in your role/project?
  • What do you really care about?
  • What are your long term goals?
  • What skills do you want to improve?
  • What is the area that, if you made an improvement, would give you the greatest return?
  • Are there any meetings you feel you should be a part of that you’re not?
Misc
  • What can I do to make you more successful?
  • What was the most useful part of our conversation today?
  • Does this feedback resonate with you? Why or why not?
  • What feedback do you have for me?
  • If you were me, what would you do differently?
  • What’s the next step? How should we track or capture this?
  • How do you feel about the amount of feedback you’re getting?
  • What are 2 things that I can do differently or improve? What could I start or stop doing?
  • What questions do you wish I would ask?








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