9 Essential Topics to Cover for Effective 1-on-1 Conversations
9 Essential Topics to Cover for Effective 1-on-1 Conversations
The effectiveness of your 1-on-1s directly impacts your ability to be effective as a leader. Too often these conversations end up being awkward and unproductive, but they have the potential to be so much more.
What You Should Really Expect from 1-on-1s
Does your team look forward to your 1-on-1 conversations? Do they seem engaged and open during these meetings? If you’re like most people, the answer is no.
Imagine if 1-on-1s were something you and the individual actually look forward to, where both of you experience growth as a result of your conversation. In a business where this is the norm, 1-on-1s are highly effective and will drive growth and performance throughout the organization.
Sound impossible? If you’re not getting value out of 1-on-1 meetings, you might be missing some of these keys:
Your job is not to drive the agenda of these conversations. The conversation is not about you—it’s about getting to know the individual.
If you’re having a one-hour meeting, you should spend 20-30 minutes asking questions and getting to know the person, what’s going on with them, and what they need.
When you prioritize getting to know them before going on to the business, you have a chance to truly help them grow as an individual.
The best way to lead these conversations is to ask questions. Start with open-ended questions and follow up with clarifying questions to ensure you have a clear understanding of the individual’s perspective.
These conversations should be dynamic and ongoing. It’s not about lighting a fire under them—it’s about lighting a fire inside of them. That’s how you drive real growth.
9 Essential 1-on-1 Topics
Learning how to have effective 1-on-1s is a skill you develop with practice. When asking questions, cover a variety of topics that will help you understand the individual’s goals, motivations, strengths, and challenges so you can truly get to know them. Here are nine essential topics to address during these conversations:
Vision and Goal-Setting: To give meaningful advice, you have to understand every person’s vision and goals. However, the real point of exploring this topic is to help the team member themselves gain clarity about their priorities and goals. By asking the right questions, you can help them identify what they want to achieve.
Change and Growth: Change is necessary in order to grow in ways that help us achieve our goals. In 1-on-1s, you can help individuals figure out which changes will help them grow in the right direction, while also guiding them to prepare for the obstacles they might face while making these changes.
Strengths and Development: Don’t just focus on areas where an individual needs to grow—help your team members understand where their strengths already are. Then, they will better understand how to leverage their strengths to reach their goals, overcome challenges, and do their best work.
Motivation and Drive: If you want your team to stay engaged and productive, you need to understand what drives them. Find out what energizes and inspires them, what keeps them going in the face of setbacks, and what factors get in the way of them feeling excited about their work.
Challenges and Problem-Solving: There are always going to be challenges and failures, but how you address them is what makes or breaks your team. Use 1-on-1s as an opportunity to problem-solve—but remember, this isn’t about you dispensing advice or giving answers. Guide each individual to take ownership of challenges so they can come up with their own solutions.
Relationships and Team Dynamics: How your team works together will impact how your business functions. Strong relationships and clear communication are necessary to work effectively as a team. During 1-on-1s, guide your team members to reflect on their interactions with their coworkers and identify areas where improvements can be made.
Career Development and Future Aspirations: 1-on-1s aren’t just about discussing immediate goals and metrics. Help individuals get clarity on their long-term career goals and ambitions, and you’ll be able to offer meaningful guidance that will help them map out how to get there.
Work-Life Integration: Individuals who can successfully integrate their personal life and work life will be more successful at both. As a leader and mentor, you can help your team members identify areas that might be causing issues and brainstorm ways to get the most out of their work and home lives.
Immediate Issues: 1-on-1s are the best place to address immediate issues and setbacks that might be making an individual feel uncomfortable, uncertain, or stuck. Use these conversations to help them uncover underlying issues and guide them toward effective solutions.
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