When it comes to the challenges that startups face, the most preventable are the people problems. And most people problems arise because of a lack of opportunity for communication.
The best way to prevent these people problems is to build the practice of 1:1 meetings into your startup from day one. And yes, even if you’re all working together in the same room, and you’re always talking, you still need 1:1s.
The hardest thing about 1:1s is to start having them. You’ve got to get them on the calendar, at a regular interval, for all direct reports. Think one hour bi-weekly for new or junior team members, one hour monthly for independent contributors, program managers, and everyone else at the startup.
The second hardest thing about 1:1s is to keep them. You must religiously protect this time. Even though it’s an internal meeting and yes it could be easy to reschedule, the trap is letting it slip. When you let them slip not only are you diminishing the importance of the 1:1, but by the time you realize there’s a problem, it will already have created a negative ripple effect. On the flip side you’ll also have missed the opportunity to positively reinforce behaviors and actions that you want a team member to lean into.
The third hardest thing about 1:1s is for managers to recognize that the 1:1 is not their meeting. While it’s the managers job to provide and protect the space and the structure, it’s the employee’s meeting. The purpose of the 1:1 is not for the manager to deliver information, it’s the employee’s time to be heard and get guidance and help on what they are prioritizing, what is important to them, and how they are approaching their work.
Convinced? Great. Start with one of these three templates for running great 1:1s, then come back in three months for the best resources to help you refine them.
Let your employees know that you’re getting ready to start doing 1:1s with them, that it’s their meeting, and you’re going to send them an agenda that is more like guidelines anyway. Copy and paste the following into your calendar invites:
These are some guiding questions for us to go through, we’re free to deviate from this or go in any order that would be most helpful for you right now!
For employees that will be better set up for success if they have a consistent structure and way to prepare, check out the 3 P’s — Progress, Plans, and Problems. Three categories, the employee leads the walk through of each, the manager follows up with a brief email recap to document and provide accountability that will go to the next 1:1 meeting.