What Should Your 1 1 Agenda Include?

We often avoid things we don’t understand or things that make us uncomfortable, like 1 on 1 agendas for our one-on-one meetings. The problem is, if we don’t work on our 1 1 agendas, it’s hard to keep our meetings on track. And when it comes to one-on-one meetings, consistency is key.

Continue reading to understand what your 1 1 agenda should look like. Not only can the following tips help you create an efficient 1 1 agenda, but they will also help you feel more comfortable carrying it out.

Your 1 on 1 Agenda Should Include a List of Potential Topics of Conversation

You and the employee need to take some time to compile a list of topics that each of you would like to discuss during the upcoming meeting. This is where your 1 1 agenda comes in. The two of you can compare the two lists and determine which items should receive the highest priority. Alternately, you may split down the topics of discussion so that they fit your 1 on 1 agenda.

Reward Outstanding Performance

Your 1 1 agenda should incorporate a number of victories or achievements that have taken place since your most recent one-on-one meeting. This provides a nice atmosphere for the meeting, gives employees the opportunity to exhibit the hard work they’ve put in, and gives managers the chance to reinforce the positive behaviors that contribute to success.

In addition to this, “high-recognition organizations” have voluntary employee turnover rates that are 31% lower than companies that don’t constantly reward their personnel.

Decreased turnover is crucial in today’s workforce. Focusing on your employees increases their productivity and morale, which helps the bottom line.

Troubleshoot Issues With An Open Mind

It’s important to talk about problems, difficulties, and worries in order to best support employees. Investigate the current standing of the action items from before. This step gives the manager and the employee the opportunity to troubleshoot, find solutions to difficulties, and ensure that the tasks remain on track for completion if they have not yet reached completion.

What challenges does the employee need to overcome? These can be follow-up questions to a previous 1-on-1, or they might be brand-new issues that have surfaced in the last week. You should do what you can to assist employees in breaking through any barriers or stumbling blocks as soon as they appear.

Consider Progress That’s Occurred

One-on-one meetings are an excellent opportunity to discuss the monthly, quarterly, and/or yearly progress that has occurred toward an employee’s goals. Instead of waiting until the middle of the year or the end of the year for evaluations, regularly tracking your goals provides you the option to realign fast when necessary.

Encourage Open Communication

During 1-on-1 meetings, your goal as a manager should be to speak no more than 10–20% of the time. This time is primarily about listening to and comprehending the members of your team. Asking the appropriate questions is essential. The question “How are things going?” should be replaced with more targeted and detailed inquiries. Here are some examples to get your mind moving in the right direction as you plan your 1 1 agenda:

What kind of clarity am I able to convey regarding the mission, values, strategy, and goals of our company?

• How can we improve the way that everyone on our team works together? How about with the other divisions?

• Is there anything the team should begin doing differently or quit doing altogether?

• Is there anyone else on the team that you feel you could collaborate with more effectively?

• Is there someone that you find particularly difficult to collaborate with?

• Do you feel like you are getting adequate feedback? What kind of comments are most beneficial to receive? Which of these was least helpful? Where are these areas where I can offer more feedback?

• What is it about your career that you enjoy the most?

• What are you most looking forward to about coming to work each day?

• Which elements of your job here are most congruent with the long-term objectives you have set for yourself?

• Do you currently have any projects in mind that you would be interested in working on?

• How satisfied are you with your job, using a scale from 1 to 10?

• What are the most significant challenges or time wasters that you face on a daily basis?

• Do you feel like you are being overworked, underworked, or that your workload is just right?

• Do you feel like your role challenges you on a consistent basis, or do you feel like you’ve reached a plateau? Do you ever find yourself feeling bored?

• What are some ways in which I, as a manager, can help you perform a better job?

• Do you feel that there are any areas in which you could benefit from additional coaching?

• What are some brand-new abilities that you desire to get better at? Which types of supplementary education would be most beneficial to your long-term development?

• What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most? What are some of the things about the culture of our organization that you enjoy the most? Anything you dislike?

• If you were the CEO of our company, what do you think the first item would be that you would change?

Ask for Your Own Feedback

You can ask them more precisely whether they have any feedback linked to you as a manager, corporate culture, team dynamics, or even their own strengths and weaknesses, in addition to using the questions that were presented above in the hopes that they will solicit input.

Additionally, managers should communicate any employee-specific comments that they have with their teams because doing so presents a fantastic chance for mentoring.

Problem Solve for the Future

Prepare a schedule for the upcoming week, including activities to complete and milestones to reach (s). You should develop a timeline complete with specific due dates whenever it is appropriate to do so. During your upcoming one-on-one meeting, these subjects should receive your attention first and foremost.

Make Notes on Two Different Levels

On one level, managers should take notes on the topics that came up during the meeting, paying particular attention to action items and issues that require further investigation.

On a second level, managers should also take notes on their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas regarding an employee’s development, morale, and abilities which they could use further coaching. Assessing the situation on both levels allows you to be a more efficient and supportive manager.

How Often Should You Conduct Your One-on-One Meetings?

One school of thought maintains that you should schedule individual meetings with a client on a weekly basis. In contrast, another maintains that this frequency is superfluous. Everyone has a unique set of priorities, despite the fact that it’s essential to organize a calendar. When determining the optimum meeting cadence for you, you should take into account the particular demands of both you and your colleagues. Here are some pointers that can help you choose an effective frequency:

Take into consideration the number of people who report directly to you.

The frequency of one-on-one interactions you choose to implement needs to be reasonable and doable; otherwise, you risk becoming unreliable and exhausting yourself. If you have a large team, it is not practical to expect to have a weekly one-on-one meeting with each employee that lasts for an hour; doing so would consume your whole workweek. Find a rhythm that satisfies your staff members’ needs while allowing you the time you require to carry out business as usual.

Try out other frequencies.

When you are working on your one-on-one cadence, it is essential to keep an open mind. The management should experiment with a variety of cadences at first. Consider cutting back on the number of times you hold meetings if you believe that the time spent by your staff may have been better utilized in other contexts. Suppose you believe that additional one-on-one meetings with your staff members will be beneficial for them. In that case, you should explore increasing the frequency of these meetings. Maintain your adaptability and make consistent changes as circumstances evolve.

Solicit the opinions of the staff.

It is essential to stay up to date on the one-on-one meeting requirements of your staff members. Ask the employees attending your meetings whether they think the current rhythm is in place. Let them decide if it is effective or whether they would prefer more or less one-on-ones. This input will assist you in ensuring that each meeting is productive and beneficial for your company’s employees.

Be consistent.

This was mentioned earlier, but consistency truly is important. Managers must ascertain the day and time of the week that are most convenient for each employee and then adhere to those choices. Once you have determined an effective frequency, you should refrain from rescheduling or canceling meetings. The staff will be able to get ready for your chats and won’t be caught off guard by problems that require immediate attention.