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1-on-1 meeting questions

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Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#41

Post by scarface74 »

DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #20
stephc_int13 wrote: post #3

Wow, this is amazing. I can't help but think of all the sarcastic answers I would give the so-called manager with a slight grin on my face. Seriously, I think this list is a potent illustration of modern management bullcrap. Come on guys, don't do this to your team, they are not children...

it's like talking to a superior who poses as a psychologist without any training in it. lots of power to the manager and an invitation for abuse. pretty much the reason why I'd never slave as an employee. sorry you're being downvoted. it seems there are many here who have underlings and therefore benefit from such a farce.

You’re always answerable to someone - clients, investors, the board.

But even barring that, “just don’t work for anyone else” is not actionable.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#42

Post by marcinzm »

Slikey wrote: post #35
awakeasleep wrote: post #23

Many of these will come off as frustrating and manipulative. When I, a manager, ask “what is the biggest obstacle facing you and how can i remove it,” I’m offloading the manager-level work of identifying blockers for my team on the individual. And hey, that might work, your teammate might have an insight you’re missing. But then, if they do have that insight, you’ve volunteered to do a shitload of work for your team.…

I can only imagine the horror of working in a team where obstacles are not communicated immediately and have to wait for such meetings. This screams in inefficiency and frustration. The job of the manager should be to implement a culture of open feedback and actively resolve obstacles as they come up. Most of these questions come straight out of the waterfall playbook.

In my view, that only works for small obstacles in small teams. Larger obstacles and larger teams have complicated dynamics and trade offs. That means you need to think further ahead instead of focusing on the short term issues. Sometime people don't even realize the real blockers until forced to actively think about them.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#43

Post by yankit »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #31
awakeasleep wrote: post #23

Many of these will come off as frustrating and manipulative. When I, a manager, ask “what is the biggest obstacle facing you and how can i remove it,” I’m offloading the manager-level work of identifying blockers for my team on the individual. And hey, that might work, your teammate might have an insight you’re missing. But then, if they do have that insight, you’ve volunteered to do a shitload of work for your team.…

>>When I, a manager, ask “what is the biggest obstacle facing you and how can i remove it,” I’m offloading the manager-level work of identifying blockers for my team on the individual. That gets a bit circular. In my mind, "asking my team members" is THE number one method of "identifying blockers for my team". Think about it - if a manager didn't ask for input from their team members, and instead assumed they can ide…

I agree, not only these kinds of questions we should ask, but also we should have data and objective results. Adding data and caring about people personally make the best managers I've ever seen.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#44

Post by kreetx »

I don't understand the negative attitudes here. Yes, a 1-on-1 should be a normal conversation, but this is a great starting point to those who don't have the experience yet!

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#45

Post by marcinzm »

Insanity wrote: post #38
stephc_int13 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've co-founded companies, I've led teams and been CEO of a small video game studio. As a manager, I never felt the need to bother anyone with 1:1 meetings. I think it is very easy to shoot yourself in the foot with feedback, this is a difficult art. And I think the best strategy is to use feedback only to deal with outliers, ie exceptional or catastrophic achievements.

I've worked for managers that did and didn't do 1:1 meetings. At some places I've missed them - because the managers were out of touch with the team. In other places where there were no 1:1 but a lot of 'hallway conversations' that seemed to replace them. So they had an 'finger on the pulse' of the team. That was pretty great - because of how informal it was and it worked. I've also had great 1:1s though. So YMMV I g…

The issue I see with hallway conversations on their own is that some people don't convey much information in such a short informal setting. Other do but it can leave a blind spot for some individuals and for problems too large (or sensitive) to articulate in such a setting. Some people just aren't comfortable forcing a meeting with their boss to discuss a large or sensitive issue.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#46

Post by yankit »

kreetx wrote: post #44

I don't understand the negative attitudes here. Yes, a 1-on-1 should be a normal conversation, but this is a great starting point to those who don't have the experience yet!

What kind of questions and data do you prepare for your 1-on-1s?

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#47

Post by vinnymac »

KingOfCoders wrote: post #2

I think 1on1s are the managers Swiss army knife and the best way to support employees in their development. If possible I do them as walk'n'talks, people are more open and ideas often flow better when walking outside the office.

I have always done "walk'n'talks" as well, and have found them to be much more effective over the years. I always preach about them when I get the chance. It's unsurprising to me that sitting in a claustrophobic 2-person room, where it can feel like an interrogation, is less effective.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#48

Post by stephc_int13 »

hk__2 wrote: post #33
stephc_int13 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've co-founded companies, I've led teams and been CEO of a small video game studio. As a manager, I never felt the need to bother anyone with 1:1 meetings. I think it is very easy to shoot yourself in the foot with feedback, this is a difficult art. And I think the best strategy is to use feedback only to deal with outliers, ie exceptional or catastrophic achievements.

> As a manager, I never felt the need to bother anyone with 1:1 meetings. How do you collect feedback then?

Talking with people in an informal way, over lunch, work meetings (brainstorm) and direct day-to-day conversations.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#49

Post by johannes1234321 »

stephc_int13 wrote: post #18
cek wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow, you are either a troll or clueless. There is no more powerful form of ensuring manager/employee alignment than 1:1 meetings.

I've co-founded companies, I've led teams and been CEO of a small video game studio. As a manager, I never felt the need to bother anyone with 1:1 meetings. I think it is very easy to shoot yourself in the foot with feedback, this is a difficult art. And I think the best strategy is to use feedback only to deal with outliers, ie exceptional or catastrophic achievements.

As a employee 1:1s give me a low barrier meeting to bring up topics which neither fit in regular working meetings, nor fit to "water cooler talk", nor warrant calling an extra meeting. Often there's not much, but it's a nice thing to have scheduled.

Re: 1-on-1 meeting questions

#50

Post by dvfjsdhgfv »

scarface74 wrote: post #37
artsyca wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The very idea that there are two ends is your fallacy bro you are already putting yourself in the magnanimous role of giving something A 1:1 is inherently a meeting of minds where there is no power imbalance and genuine trust can develop The way you make it sound is like the CIA giving mandatory lie detector tests where one person is strapped to a chair and the other is taking notes I'm calling false corporate bullsh…

There is always a power imbalance between a subordinate and a manager. There is no “genuine trust” with a manager. If your manager was told that their were imminent layoffs and they were told not to tell you, do you think they would? Would you tell your manager that you are hoping to learn all you can to get a better paying job in a year?

Of course there is no trust, and this lack of trust is pouring from all these questions. Personally I encourage the people who report to me to always come to me with any issues they may have and never wait until a 1 on 1.
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