{"id":5122,"date":"2020-01-22T19:48:54","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T03:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knowyourteam.com\/blog\/?p=5122"},"modified":"2024-10-16T13:00:15","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T20:00:15","slug":"youve-got-your-first-one-on-one-meeting-with-an-employee-how-to-prepare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2020\/01\/22\/youve-got-your-first-one-on-one-meeting-with-an-employee-how-to-prepare\/","title":{"rendered":"You’ve got your first one-on-one meeting with an employee: How to prepare?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you’re a new manager, here are the exact 1-on-1 meeting questions, agenda template, and approach you can take for your first 1:1 meeting with an employee. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"first<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s anything you should be supremely focused on as a new manager, it\u2019s your first 1-on-1 meeting with an employee. That first encounter might seem like a formality to you. But in reality, it\u2019s formative<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first 1-on-1 meeting with an employee sets the tone for your relationship with this person who\u2019ll you\u2019ll work with every day. It\u2019s the one opportunity you have to set a groove, a pattern, for what you want your interactions to be like, and the standard for what feels good going forward. As a result, investing time in preparing for your first 1-on-1 meeting with an employee is a wise use of your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how exactly should you hold this first one-on-one meeting with an employee? Have no fear \ud83d\ude42 I\u2019ll share what we\u2019ve learned from over six years of research and working with 15,000+ managers and employees\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: Tell your new hire why you\u2019d like to start holding one-on-one meetings with them.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One-on-one meetings are not status updates. One-on-one meetings are not for brainstorming projects. You can talk \u201cthe latest\u201d about a project or \u201cwhat\u2019s next\u201d in another meeting, via email, or even Slack. One-on-one meetings are rare, invaluable time purely to uncover potential issues and share feedback with one another. When else do you ever get the opportunity to do this, face-to-face?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making this purpose clear is paramount because your employee may have never had one-on-one meetings at their previous job(s) where this was true. Orienting them to this particular purpose of the one-on-one meeting is therefore essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example of an email you can write explaining this\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hey NAME,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was thinking it\u2019d be useful to have regular one-on-one meetings every week or so. I view these meetings as a time for me to really listen to <\/em>you\u200a\u2014\u200ato hear what\u2019s on your mind and what you think can be better in the team. It\u2019s also chance for us to both get on the same page, share feedback with one another, and discuss how we can both grow in our respective roles.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can co-write the agendas ahead of time using this (insert tool of your choice here) \u200a\u2014\u200aso we together are ensuring we\u2019re talking about the things that matter most.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Might you be up for it? Let me know what you think!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warmly,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

YOUR NAME<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\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

#2: Ask your new hire what frequency and duration of one-on-one meetings they prefer.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For these first one-on-one meetings, for how long and how often should you hold them? If the new hire directly reports to you, I recommend weekly one-on-one meetings for 1-hour long for the first 90 days or so. If the new hire doesn\u2019t directly report to you, either a biweekly or monthly one-on-one meeting for 1-hour is likely sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless, the most important part here is to get input from them on the frequency and duration, in the first place. This way there\u2019s greater buy-in on these meetings happening\u200a\u2014\u200ait\u2019s not just something you\u2019re demanding and imposing on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s more information on how often you should be holding one-on-one meetings with your employees, depending on your team size<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are your one-on-one meetings, in fact, skip-level meetings? You may want to read this piece here on the frequency of skip-level meetings<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3: Prepare an agenda\u200a\u2014\u200awith input from your employee.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll want to spend at least 15 minutes brainstorming thoughtful, specific questions you might want to ask. Recall that the purpose of your one-on-one meeting is to uncover potential issues and concerns, so your questions should be targeted around this. For your first one-on-one meeting with an employee, this often means asking prophylactic questions\u200a\u2014\u200aquestions that reveal what the other person\u2019s work preference and expectations are, so you can account for them as a leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an example, here\u2019s an agenda template for your first one-on-one meeting with an employee:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal connection (10 min.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n