Scheduling 1:1s as a Manager

In my experience, the most important rule and if nothing else is possible to do, the one thing that every Manager must do is conduct regular 1:1 meetings with each of their direct reports. It is hard to over-emphasise the importance the need for regular interactions with your direct. It is during these 1:1 sessions that you are building relationships that will allow you and the direct to navigate through various ups and downs in the professional work place. These 1:1 meetings allow a Manager to set the tone for the behaviour that they want to see in their team. By dedicating 30 minutes in a week to a direct, you are showing them that they are important to you, the team and the company. As Managers, you are a representative of the company to the direct. If you believe that not to be the case, think again. As an employee of the organisation, even you look up to your Manager for direction and guidance on the company performance and the behaviour that they want to see in you. It is the same for your directs.

I have found that conducting more than 3 1:1’s during a day turns out to be quite difficult to manage. There were instances in my career when I had more than 20 direct reports and it was a challenge to fit everyone into a schedule. If you have a chance, do not accept the responsibility of leading a 20+ member team. Research has shown that the ideal team strength is between 8 and 12. In an ideal organization, you would not have more than 10 directs. If so, then the math is straight forward – you need only schedule 2 1:1’s each day and you would have had a chance to speak to all 10 of your directs in any given work week.

By taking control of the calendar, you are giving yourself time to control your emotions and manage your day better. The last thing you want as a Manager is to conduct 2 or even 3 1:1’s back-to-back. 1:1’s can be stimulating or draining depending on the tenor of the conversation and the participants involved. You need to be able to recharge and reset before your next meeting. Be kind to yourself and allow yourself the time that you need. I remember this person who loved to talk. Once she got started on a topic of their interest, there was little that I could do to stop the flow. It was as much because they liked to talk as much as I liked to listen that I would let them continue. The 30 minutes could stretch out for longer, but it did not impede with another direct’s 1:1 time.

One of the pitfalls to avoid is to establish a 1:1 series on Monday mornings. Invariably, Monday mornings are taken up in different ways by different people depending on their own personalities and style of work. I usually approach Monday mornings with curiosity and a sense of purpose towards the week ahead, wanting to achieve established goals or setting new ones. Some others can be grumpy about it being a Monday morning! Monday morning blues are a thing and it is best to avoid these. Depending on the culture within the organisation, chose a time that has employees at an optimum energy level. I remember some 1:1s in which my direct would spend a good chunk of the time yawning. The time was post lunch and I soon figured that the best thing to do is to reschedule to a different time when the person would be more alert and therefore, enable us to have a constructive conversation.

Similarly, 1:1’s at 8:00 a.m in the morning are a strict no-no. In the modern workplace where there are emails and demands of your time 24×7, the first thing on a modern tech worker’s mind in the morning is the desire to check emails and catch up on the latest from overnight, establishing a schedule for the day. You do not want to talk about individual topics at this time. Another example is the time that an employee walks in to work at. One of my directs was notorious for coming in at 10:00 a.m or later on any given day. Scheduling a meeting at 8:30 a.m with him was an exercise in disappointment and annoyance. Insisting on maintaining strict office hours in today’s work environment is detrimental to everyone, the employee, the Manager and the organisation. Enforcing a strict time for entry and exit would be akin to ensuring a path down a rabbit-hole.

Avoid setting up 1:1s at the end of the day as well, for reasons very similar to the one for the start of the day. 1:1 meetings are special because the time is dedicated to the person sitting in front of you. It is unlike other meetings with more attendees where one or more can afford to relax when the topic is not relevant to their interest. At the end of a day, typically both participants would be mentally not as sharp as they would have been at the start of the day.

Ideally, the 1:1 would be scheduled at a time of the day when both you and the direct employee are available, energetic and focused on having a fruitful conversation. If your directs are in a different time zone, then check with them about the best time for them to attend a weekly 1:1. It need not always be in your morning or at your convenience. Be flexible when the need arises.