Re-designing 1:1s for more check-in than check-out
Of all the meetings that could be an email, the one-to-one meeting between employee and manager is not one of them (or should not be).
Despite the well-accepted importance of 1:1 meetings, the typical trajectory of these weekly or bi-weekly meetings often go something like this:
“How are things going?”
"What are you working on?”
“What’s happening with xyz?”
“Do you need anything from me?”
Then manager and employee run through projects, deadlines, issues, and capture some action items to be the subject of the next 1:1 meeting and along they go.
So what’s wrong with this approach to 1:1 meetings if it’s worked so far?
With an overwhelming number of tools available for status updates, the simplest of which is an email, the 1:1 meeting is ripe for evolution away from status updates. Additionally, with careers and work becoming increasingly cross-functional, and colleagues being AI agents as well as co-workers, the need for clarity has never been greater as blurry boundaries are the norm not the exception.
These 1:1 meetings whether they happen in-person, over coffee, accompanied by a walk, or through a video call, offer an important opportunity for clarity and connection. Using these moments to effectively can make the difference between a meaningful check in or contribute to a team member checking out.
So how can leaders and teams re-design the ol’ 1:1 meeting to be a true check-in rather than driver of check-outs? The key is designing 1:1s for clarity.
Design your 1:1 around clarity
One of the most valuable things a leader can provide for their team is clarity. Clarity doesn’t mean 100% transparency, nor does it have to mean having all the answers, but providing enough transparency and guidance for work to make sense.
Clarity of priorities
Clarity of expectations
Clarity about decisions
Clarity about roles and responsibilities
Clarity about what matters - what doesn’t
Offering clarity can come from thinking through ambiguity together and re-designing 1:1s away from manager’s collecting information to managers offering a space for thinking out loud.
As a leader, this shifts 1:1 conversations from:
“Tell me what’s happening?”
to:
“Let’s make sense of what’s happening.”
Keep an eye on common clarity gaps
Things often seem clear until a situation arises and it’s evident that clarity was in fact missing. Instances where a task that was supposed to be exploratory actually went all the way to implementation without necessary checks and approvals. Or times when tasks were missed because it was unclear if it was a discussion or a decision. Sometimes what on the surface can look like a performance issue, may actually be a clarity gap.
As leaders, keeping an eye on common clarity gaps can help give all team members a fair chance at success. Ask yourself:
Have I made it clear what success would look like for tasks or deliverables?
Is it clear who owns the decision?
Is it clear when discussion leads to a decision? How is the decision documented?
Is it clear what is priority and what isn’t - our guiding principles for prioritization?
Is it clear what each team member’s role is on projects or for tasks?
Is my expectation of team members clear and fair?
Is it clear how tasks and projects of team members connects to the bigger picture?
Using scenarios can also help surface potential clarity gaps. Asking, “so if this [insert scenario] happened, what would be the approach to managing it?”. Also flipping the logic can help surface clarity gaps - try asking “for this task or approach to this task to be effective, what would need to be true?”
Using 1:1s to facilitate career clarity is priceless (for employees and companies)
What makes 1:1 meetings between employees and their managers so important and valuable is the opportunity to gather feedback and input from someone who actually sees how they work and can share observations which can help shape career decisions and provide clarity.
As working professionals, only our colleagues, managers, and peers in our lives can credibly comment on our job performance and impact. Sure, family members and pets may overhear work-from-home meetings, but it’s truly only our managers and colleagues that can observe how we work and understand the full context of our work.
Leaders who recognize this important vantage point in the lives of their team members and use it to provide clarity can help maximize 1:1s and offer not only task clarity, but career clarity. Careers are no longer linear and a past job title is hardly a predictor of a future one anymore, so leaders who can help team members find clarity through learnings from projects or tasks, and help connect those learnings and reflections to internal career pathing, or even sector-based career pathing can have a lasting positive impact on the careers of team members and lead to strong engagement and performance.
Asking questions or sharing observations such as:
“You seemed to quite enjoy [insert project or task name], what made it intriguing for you?”
“Is there anything you’d like to explore further or gain more exposure to like this?”
“If you enjoy [task type or skill], you might also find this through [another team, or type of work].” As a leader, if you have a connection to such an area, you may wish to offer to facilitate a connection.
Supporting employees in exploring the full breadth of their skills and capabilities and helping to connect them to projects and your company’s strategy can be priceless in terms of retaining talent for your organization and helping team members chart a rewarding career. For smaller organizations where internal mobility could be limited, expanding the focus of career clarity to developing your industry or sector overall can provide long-term benefits to your team member and company if team members leave your organization to pursue their career goals at another organization and return to your organization later in their career.
In closing
Despite all the ways the world of work is changing, the 1:1 meeting is here to stay, but is ready for a re-design. Moving away from status updates to providing clarity of expectations, priorities, and purpose can make the difference between meaningful check-ins and transactional 1:1 meetings that lead to check-outs.