In my last post, I dealt with the importance and effectiveness of 1:1 meetings from the viewpoint of the employee.[1] As promised, I will now discuss 1:1 meetings from the viewpoint of the manager. The first thing you should do is go back and re-read the last post because pretty much everything on that list applies to the manager side of the equation as well, either in terms of understanding where your employee is coming from or common sense tactics that make for better 1:1 meetings regardless of which side of the table you sit. Second, if you have never had any training on how to conduct 1:1 employee meetings do not feel bad. You are not alone! Coming up through the ranks of in-house lawyers, my only experience with 1:1 meetings were the ones I attended as an employee. Some managers were really good at it and some were pretty bad. Since most companies don’t spend a lot of time training people (especially in-house lawyers) on how to manage people, when I became a manager and started holding my own 1:1 meetings the key, for me, was to mimic the things I thought prior managers did well and not do the things I thought sucked. Over time, and with a little research on the side, I like to think I developed a process for pretty effective 1:1 meetings (though if you worked for me in the past you may disagree!). Regardless, since it is my blog, I get to at least pretend those 1:1’s were awesome. And now it’s time to share that big bag of awesomeness with you. This edition of “Ten Things” shares my tips on how to host effective 1:1 meetings with your direct reports:
1:1 meetings
Ten Things: More Effective 1:1 Meetings (Employee View)
A few months back I took some swings at meetings in general, i.e. Escaping Meeting Hell. But, as I noted, not all meetings are “bad” and many are necessary, especially for in-house counsel. Of the meetings in-house counsel must attend, none should rank higher than your 1:1 meetings with your boss. You may think it is just more administrative bullshit you have to make time for during your already crowded week – and you would be somewhat correct. But, it is important administrative bullshit and the administrative part of being an in-house lawyer is just as critical as the substantive legal work.[1] Not only is a one-on-one meeting a way to keep your manager informed of what is going on, it is also a key ingredient of the “soup” that is served up as part of career development and advancement. So, grab your spoon and get ready to dig in as this edition of “Ten Things” discusses what you can do to have more effective 1:1 meetings with your boss:
Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel® 