Should you be running 1:1s with your team?

There's been a lot of noise in the last couple of weeks over an interview with Brian Chesky from Airbnb on 1-1s (one to ones).

I don't believe in 1-on-1s and almost no great CEO in history has ever done 1-on-1s

It's an interesting statement - for as long as I can remember we've always been told how important it is to do 1:1s with your team. Should we stop?

Communication is key

Regardless of your stance on 1-1s, you have to agree that communication is a key to success in any business. If you aren't having 1-1s then having those discussions with the team in a different format is still important for visibility you still need to know what is going on in the business. The problem with having these discussions in a different format is you no longer have a safe space for your team to talk to you about issues.

Sometimes an issue can't be properly discussed in an office or group setting, and by cancelling or removing their 1-1s what you are actually saying to your direct reports is that you don't care about them or their career. They are just an expendable resource to you.

Ouch, that doesn't feel good.

Building relationships

As a leader, I find 1-1 catch ups are important to ensure a good healthy relationship with your reports and ultimately to boost productivity, morale and engagement. It allows you to build a rapport with your team in a non-stressful environment. It allows you to understand about how your team think and communicate. And this becomes an incredibly powerful tool for situations where things do get stressful.

What makes a successful 1-1?

For 1-1s to be successful, they should be:

• Regular - An meeting that both of you expect to happen on the same day at the same time each week (or 2 weeks).
• Face-to-face - either in-person or via a video call.
• Private - a safe space to discuss and feel comfortable about discussing anything.
• Personal - It should be about your direct report and their needs, not about the status of a project.

So as leaders, how should we be starting a 1-1? I've recently been reading a book called "The Coaching Habit" by Michael Bungay Stanier which covers exactly how to ask a kickstart question, and it's actually very simple.

What's on your mind?

It's a question that gets right to the heart of the problem and allows our reports to immediately feel safe enough to talk about what they've been thinking about.

Now the question is out there, it's time for us as leaders to be good listeners, be genuinely interested in what your report has to say and actually listen to the answer.

Through this answer you want to understand if they are feeling supported; what is concerning them; what are the opportunities and if they have any news or feedback. If you don't feel like the first question has given you these answers, then there is a very simple follow-up question.

And what else?

1-1s are an integral part of working in a team

1-1s are important for the line report to have a space to feel heard and important, and they are an important tool for a manager to understand how your report is doing. It is the only meeting where you have the undivided attention of the other person.

They are also a chance for you to give feedback on ways of working and share what is on your mind.

If you want to get better at 1-1s, I strongly recommend The Coaching Habit for opening your eyes on how you can better communicate with your team and have more useful and productive 1-1s. And remember, communication is key.