Your One on One Meeting with Your Boss is your most important work meeting.
Why? Get it right and you’ll be happier and wealthier at work but get it wrong and you might be looking for a new boss. But even so my first tip for managing your boss is that having One on One Meetings with your Boss is always better than not having them. If you don’t know how or if you want to polish up your technique then here’s a free course on One on One Meetings with Your Boss which is going to show you how to use these meetings to work smarter, not harder.
The problem that employees like you face is that even if you work hard, it’s your boss’s perception of you that’s going to determine your bonuses, increases and promotions. And ultimately your work happiness too because if your relationship with your boss breaks down then it’s going to be difficult for you to be happy in your job.
That’s why managing upwards is really about maintaining your relationship with your boss to align expectations and communicate achievements in one on one meetings. But I also understand that employees are nervous about making a mistake in their one on one meeting with their boss. There’s a lot that you can do right in a one on one meeting with your boss which you can find out about over here, but here are 9 things not to get wrong. Plus what to do instead:
Top Mistakes to Avoid in One On One Meetings With Your Boss
Don’t be afraid of your One on One Meetings with your boss and definitely don’t avoid them. Tip for managing your manager: If you are unsure about what to do then find out what to do in one on one meetings with your boss then find out here. Follow this process and you’ll be better prepared than 99% of employees.
Don’t get defensive when your boss gives you constructive feedback. When your boss doesn’t like something that you’ve done it’s better to know about it before it comes out in a negative performance review or worse. Tip for managing your boss: The best way to resolve mistakes is to listen, acknowledge and then ask what your boss wants you to do about it. This will help both of you move on from an unpleasant problem, to finding a common solution. If you’re the bigger person, thank your boss for the feedback.
Don’t forget a pen and paper. This is a tip my own boss gave me. And as a boss I want to know that my employee is listening to what I have to say and is going to do what they say they will. It’s frustrating when you are in a meeting with your employee and they don't record actions because you know your employee has no chance of remembering everything they should. What happens is that you lose credibility with your boss and your boss feel like they are wasting their time talking to you.
Don’t come late or unprepared. This should go without say that you’re not going to make friends with your boss if you don’t show respect for their time. But the lesser known reason is that if you’re late or unprepared, then you’re going to get less time for the topics that you want to cover. Managing your Boss Tip: Use an agenda to cover all the necessary topics. Get a template for One on One meeting with your boss agenda here
Don’t expect perfection. It’s not about getting everything right in a perfect One-on-One Meeting. It’s the regular practice of dependable communications that works. Managing your Manager Tip: Trust in the process. Have regular, weekly One on One Meetings with your boss even if the process seems hard, the rewards are worth it.
Don’t expect your boss to solve your problems for you. Managing Up Tip: Instead ask for guidance and feedback on your proposed solutions. Bosses hire employees to solve problems, not bring them more problems. There are going to be problems that only your boss can solve but don’t view these as saving yourself trouble.
Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification or the help and assistance that you need. This isn’t about getting your boss your boss to solve your problems, it’s about making sure that you know what you’re meant to do and that you have the resources you need to do it.
Don’t hide your mistakes that your boss needs to know about. It’s tempting to avoid conflict and blame but it’s only going to make it worse if your boss finds out from someone else. The one on one meeting is a good environment to resolve issues. Managing Your Boss Tip: “Cover Your Arse” by discussing problems and risks before they become an issue.
Don’t be too humble but don’t brag either. The best way to keep your boss informed about your achievements is to let them know in a factual manner. Giving your boss something positive to report to their own boss is only going to be good for the both of you. Tip For Managing Your Boss: Get your contributions recognized by telling your boss about them.
The biggest mistake for One on One Meetings with your boss is
And the biggest mistake of all is to not have one on one meetings with your boss. If your boss hasn’t set up one on one meetings with you it’s simply because no one showed your boss the benefits of one on one meetings. The great thing is that you don’t have to blame your boss for what they don’t do. Instead you have the personal power to take responsibility for communications with your boss because you can get an email invite for one on one meetings with your boss over here. (It's a part of the free course on one on one meetings with your boss)
Wrapping up & Next steps
As someone who doesn’t like conflict and doesn’t like to have my work criticized, I was always nervous about one on one meetings with my boss. Especially because no one showed me what to do in these meetings. In fact I’ve made every single of the above mistakes myself. Because I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did I have a free course on one on one meetings with your boss (Including Mistakes to Avoid in One on One Meetings With Your Boss). Follow the process to build a better relationship with your boss, get financial and verbal recognition for your achievements, align expectations so that you aren’t wasting your time on the wrong priorities and much more. That’s why one on ones with your boss really are the best way to manage your boss.
Comments:
Have you had any bad experiences with one on one meetings with your boss? Do You have any comments on Mistakes to Avoid in One on One Meetings With Your Boss?
BOSS CAMP
Many people study MBA’s to advance their careers. And in MBA’s you learn about things like marketing, finance, operations and commercial law etc which are really important in business. But what you don’t learn is practical people management techniques like what to do and what to say to your employees. To progress in your career the skill that will do more for you than anything else is the ability to select, motivate and retain employees. That’s why WWW.BOSS.CAMP was invented - to show you what they didn’t teach you in school about managing employees. The program includes topics such as:
- How to motivate employees,
- What are bad employee motivators,
- What you must do as a manager but isn't on your job description,
- How leaders get power.
