{"id":4717,"date":"2019-10-03T13:47:33","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T20:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knowyourteam.com\/blog\/?p=4717"},"modified":"2024-07-10T13:21:10","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T20:21:10","slug":"skip-level-meetings-what-they-are-and-exactly-how-to-run-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2019\/10\/03\/skip-level-meetings-what-they-are-and-exactly-how-to-run-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Skip-level meetings: What they are, and exactly how to run them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you manage other managers, holding skip-level one-on-one meetings with their direct reports is paramount. Here’s how to do ’em.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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If you\u2019re a manager of managers<\/a>, skip-level meetings are your lifeline. I don\u2019t mean to sound bombastic, but if you\u2019re a CEO, executive, or director who manages other managers\u200a\u2014\u200athen skip-level meetings are an essential way to keep your ears on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skip\u2026 what? If you\u2019re anything like me, when I first heard the term \u201cskip-level meeting,\u201d I was befuddled. Yes, I held one-on-one meetings with my team. But as the team grew and I had a manager who had someone else reporting to them\u2026 I wasn\u2019t talking to their <\/em>direct report with any regularity. How was I supposed to ever learn what that team member was thinking and feeling about the company if I never talked with them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a leader, it\u2019s easy to become isolated in your ivory tower. As Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys was once quoted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIf you\u2019re a leader, you can put yourself in a cocoon-a good-news cocoon.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re at the top, you\u2019re the last to know that a significant number of team members disagree with the strategy. Or, you\u2019re the last to know that someone critical to the company is thinking about leaving the company. The bad news is diluted before it reaches your vantage point\u200a\u2014\u200aor, it\u2019s all together shuttled out of your sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how do you get out of this cocoon?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skip-level meetings are one answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on insights from the 30,000+ people who use Canopy<\/a>, here\u2019s everything you need to know about what skip-level meetings are if you need them, and how to run them well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a skip-level meeting?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A skip-level meeting is a meeting where you, as a manager, meet one-on-one with the direct report of a manager who you manage. Hence, the \u201cskipped level.\u201d For example, if you have 5 managers who directly report to you, and there are 45 employees who then report to them, the skip-level meetings would be the ones you\u2019d hold with any of those 45 employees. It\u2019s a variant of the one-on-one meeting you might already be doing with your direct reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For you as a manager, the purpose of a skip-level meeting is to get out of your good news cocoon: How are folks on the team really feeling about the work, the culture, and the team around them. What could be better? What needs to be resolved? It\u2019s valuable, sacred time that you truly won\u2019t get anywhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skip-level meetings are dually beneficial for the employee, as well. It\u2019s an opportunity for them to get aligned and centered around the vision\u200a\u2014\u200aand ask you valuable questions that help them with their own work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nLooking for more detailed guidance on one-on-one meetings?<\/strong>\nMake sure to check out our 1:1 module in Canopy.\n<\/div>\n
\nLearn more<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How often, for how long?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the first reactions you might have to a skip-level meeting is: \u201cWait for a second, how am I logistically supposed to meet with all these people?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s possible \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of our Canopy managers remarked how she regularly holds skip-level meetings with 60 employees every quarter. For another manager, she had 20 employees they held skip-level meetings with, whom she would also meet with once a quarter. Now, this doesn\u2019t mean you have to do hold them all in one three week time chunk (you could spread them out a few days a week across a quarter)\u200a\u2014\u200awe all have limited bandwidth and calendar space! But it does mean, if you want to prioritize the perspective of your team, that should be reflected on your calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you decide how often to hold these skip-level meetings, consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n