Workflowy template for One on One Meetings
The One on One Meeting between managers and employees is one of the most misunderstood meetings because no-one trains workers how to do these meetings. And there’s no established standard. What happens is:
Misunderstandings about meeting content, duration, frequency,
Failure to follow up,
Growing discontent that leads to communication breakdowns and missed meetings
And when your One on One Meeting isn’t working well, it’s usually a sign of a deteriorating working relationship, unhappy employees and poor performance.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be complicated. If you use a good One on One Meeting template, you can improve your One on One Meetings and get more done in less time. I like using Workflowy because it’s a great place to store templates, as well as meeting notes and follow up actions. Plus sharing your One on One Meeting agenda in advance ensures that both parties arrive prepared. That’s why I created a Workflowy template for you to use, which you can access here.
About Me: I’m a yoga teacher and reformed Chartered Accountant. I have had awesome technical training but I’ve come to realise the importance of soft skills for work happiness, career success and company profitability. I’ve made it my mission to make work a better place by helping workers and managers to develop their soft skills. This is because I believe there’s a lack of meaningful training in these skills.
The One on One Meeting Is Your Most Important Work Meeting
In my opinion, the One on One Meeting is your most important work meeting whether you are the manager or the employee. I’ll tell you why I think so, see if you agree:
For employees:
This meeting is how you keep your boss updated with what you have achieved and get recognition for your accomplishments,
It’s how you keep your boss informed of potential problems BEFORE they escalate to significant issues. And of course secure their assistance where you need your boss to smash down some barriers,
It’s how you find out what you need to know from your boss,
It’s the best place to grow as a person, whether this is developing essential skills or planning your next career move,
It’s how you agree your priorities in advance, so you’re not wasting your time on work your boss doesn’t want.
For Managers:
One of the best things about a good One on One Meeting is that this is where you can take care of most of your management duties in one, time efficient meeting. When you invest in One on One Meetings, what you get in return is fewer interruptions during the rest of the week.
This is how you stay informed about what your employees are doing,
It’s where you encourage your employees to be their best,
It’s the best place to provide timeous guidance to your employees, before they end up in the ditch,
It’s the best place to grow and develop your employees so they get better over time and
Perhaps most importantly, it’s where you can agree priorities in advance, which means you get what you want faster
And for both parties, having regular, high quality One on One Meetings is how you build a functional work relationship, where you get to know each other and have good communications.
One on One Meeting Templates for Quick, Easy, Effective Meetings
Perhaps you shudder at the thought of more meetings, but the key is to run quick meetings that get things done. The best way to do this is to stick to a consistent One on One Meeting agenda and use an user friendly template like this Workflowy One on One Meeting Template. I also added in some helpful tips and best practice guidance.
Develop Your One on One Meeting Practice
When I had my first One on One Meetings with my boss I really sucked at it. I didn’t know what to do. And I had some meetings that felt really awkward. Every time you try something new, you will probably also suck at it. The thing with the One on One Meeting is that you don’t have to be perfect, because it’s the practice that produces the benefits. Be brave enough to stick to the practice and you will get better over time.