1:1 Organisation Tip

Quick-ish 1:1 organiser tip – As a participant I've had 1:1's where I've regularly felt anxious about the meeting. Almost like a recurring interview in my calendar. I felt pressure to think of topics beforehand and have something to discuss on a professional development level. I did have goals, aspirations and things I wanted to learn, just not enough to fill frequent meetings.

I see advice for managers saying have questions like the following to hand - What drives you? What are your goals? Do you feel like you're making progress on your goals? How do you prefer to receive feedback? What is the company not doing today that we should be doing? Do you have any ideas on how to improve xyz?

I'm not saying that these are bad questions, they have their place in 1:1's, but you have to admit they have an interview feel to them.

As a manager, I like to layout that anxiety & stress is not the desired effect. The meeting is there to ensure there is an opportunity to cover whatever is on their minds, but equally, they are not expected to have anything on their minds 😀.

You should cover PD and anything that may be effecting them at work etc. Remember though, the first thing to do is ensure you both feel at ease. There is value in talking hobbies, news, DIY, sports, TV etc. Remember people often leave managers, not companies, and hopefully you'll be a part of the reason they stay!