The recent article by MIT SLOAN emphasizes the importance of productive time management with direct reports. Failing to meaningfully engage with employees, or worse, altogether skipping these meetings, can heighten attrition rates and hinder organizational goals' attainment.
Shifting the focus to a solution-oriented approach, we need to discuss enhancing our interactions with employees by making our one-on-ones more personable and efficient.
1. Meet more often - Regular meetings reduce anxiety and dread by 20% and 17%, respectively, while enhancing job success by 12%.
2. Align on what you both want to get out of these meetings - The focus of meetings can shift between nurturing interpersonal relationships and discussing professional growth or mentorship, contingent upon the distinct needs and situations of the employees.
3. Encourage two-way agenda-setting - Promote mutual participation in setting the agenda. Managers can streamline this process by keeping it straightforward and regular, focusing on areas that significantly contribute to employee development.
4. Focus on outcomes, not process - changing the direction of how you ask questions such as "What are you working on today?" or "How are you achieving this?" can turn a check-in into an inquisition. Instead, managers should aim to set clear objectives and allow employees the flexibility to accomplish them in their preferred manner.
5. Follow up - It's crucial for managers to take notes, revisit them post-meeting, and accomplish any tasks emerging from the dialogue before the subsequent weekly session.
Meeting just for the sake of it won't move the needle. Still, when one-on-one conversations are helpful, consistent, and human, they can become something managers and employees look forward to.
🔗 Credit
https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/five-ways-to-make-your-one-on-one-meetings-more-effective
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