Why 1:1s should be mandatory

According to Gallup, 86% of ‘highly engaged’ companies have regular 1:1s. That’s some correlation. I use 1:1s as a bellwether of an organisation’s commitment to its people. In some organisations they’re part of the operational fabric. In others, they’re as rare as unicorns. In most, it’s optional.

The 1:1 is a powerful tool with an impressive ROI if it’s done well. But all too often, it’s either not used at all, or it’s scheduled sporadically and it’s the first ballast to be ditched to keep the leader’s diary clear of clashes.

What's the issue?

1. Few would disagree that 1:1s are a good idea in theory, but many leaders believe that in practice, there’s no time for them. Most leaders are player-managers, not full-time leaders, and their day job is too consuming for the luxury of ‘having a chat’.
   
2. Indeed, some critics go further, believing the need for 1:1s represents a failure of leadership, on the grounds that if you’re not interacting with your people as part of the day job, then you’re doing it wrong. This is a common fallacy, for reasons explained below.
   
3. It’s all very well planning 1:1s months in advance, but when the stuff hits the fan as it does, 1:1s are often the first to go. Why? Well, they’re easy to postpone because they’re only with one other person, who works for you, and as it's a talking shop not a doing shop, well, nothing tangible is lost really, is it?
   
4. Leaders tend to use 1:1s solely to catch up on the work, not the person.

Consider this

1. It shouldn’t be a lottery as to whether your staff get a 1:1 or not, based on whether you and your peers do or don’t commit to them. Consistency is a cornerstone of quality. How do peers feel when comparing notes about how they’re led, when one is getting quality focused time with their boss, and the other only tends to see their boss when things are going pear-shaped?
   
2. Before you ask what your people are doing, ask them how they’re doing. Roosevelt allegedly said that ‘people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care’.
   
3. Remember that as a leader, the ONLY way you’re going to succeed is through others. So it’s worth you and each of your subordinates jumping off the hamster wheel for just a moment to take stock of them, how well they are aligned, fired up, tooled up, and embedded in the team. It’s a chance to re-charge them, course-correct, raise their game and reinforce their sense of belonging to your team and the purpose you all serve.
   
4. Have the empathy to understand the effect it has on people when you postpone or cancel a 1:1. Do it more than very rarely, and it says to them that they’re not important, that your relationship with them is not important, and that how they’re feeling and the issues they’re facing that you might be able to help them with isn’t important.
   
5. You might think such feelings are those of a snowflake. But before you reject that sensitive crystal, just look in the mirror to make sure you’re not a thick fog who can’t see that if you look after the people, the people will look after the work.

Try this

Implement a mandatory pilot 1:1 scheme in a one of your more progressive units and take it from there. To help, here are some 1:1 guidelines:

1. Schedule them regularly. It builds trust and belonging.
   
2. Everyone gets one. There are exceptions to this – generally where people are used as alternatives to robots in factories - but almost all jobs can be covered by others in the team.
   
3. Don’t reschedule them. If you claim to be committed to your team, then show it.
   
4. Give them your full attention, as if you were talking to your boss’s boss.
   
5. Ask how they’re doing before you ask what they’re doing. There’s such pressure to take care of business, but as a leader the fastest way to do that is to take care of your people.
   
6. Like any meeting, if you make a commitment to do something, do it. Your impressive job title bestowed upon you by someone above you won’t defend you against a poor reputation bestowed upon you by those below you.