Behind Closed Doors

Technique: Making One-on-Ones Work

One-on-one meetings provide managers an opportunity to ascertain status, solve problems, and provide positive and corrective feedback.

For highly interdependent teams, consider using daily stand-up meetings to create public commitment, improve intrateam communication, and allow for team problem solving (after the stand-up). Use one-on-ones for feedback and coaching, and any other private communication.

Here’s the structure we use for a one-on-one meeting:

Greeting.

Say “hello.” Ask how things are going. This may seem like small talk. It is, and it helps you build rapport.

Discuss status and progress.

This is where you find out what people accomplished over the last week, what they didn’t accomplish (that ...