Surprisingly Simple Management Through One-on-Ones

August 24, 2015 Keith Tatley

Managing people isn’t easy but the easiest management technique is the simple one on one meeting

Let’s face it, managing staff sounds glamorous but the reality is that it’s a real pain in the butt. Chasing up deadlines, dealing with disputes and being responsible for the work of every member of your team. Being a boss is a hard job. And we haven’t even got started on all the additional responsibilities that come with the job. When are you meant to find a time to do your own work?

The single easiest management tool is regular and effective one on one meetings with your employees. Do one on ones right and you can take care of almost all your management responsibilities in one go. It sounds too simple to be true - maybe that’s why some managers don’t believe in them. But there is a list of successful business leaders who swear by them. The Venture Capitalist Ben Horowitz even considers not doing one on one meetings as a sackable offense. The best place to start is with a free one on ones mini-course (Includes a one to one worksheet and one to one meeting agenda)

MANAGEMENT IS COMPLEX. effective one on one meetings SIMPLIFY

People are the most complicated things in the universe - small wonder that trying to manage them is tricky. Great bosses need several skills they just don’t teach you in business school. Such as active listening, inspiring communications, how to hire, how to fire, managing personality conflicts, etc. etc. Personally on my own journey to being a better boss I’ve been working hard at each of these skills. What I love about one-on-ones is that it’s like a shortcut where you get everything in one.

BOSSES HAVE ENDLESSLY VARIED PROBLEMS, effective one on one meetings TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING

The problems that bosses need to solve are endlessly varied. The boss is technical support, teacher, shoulder to cry on, broker, sheriff etc. The boss is ultimately accountable for the problems of each and every member of staff. There’s no true one size fits all approach to solve every problem. But the closest that you can get to a one size fits all solution is running one-on-one meetings. Find out the Top Tips for the Best One on One Meetings With Staff Here.

SOUNDS DISARMINGLY SIMPLE

I think one reason many managers don’t do one-on-one meetings is that they sound too simple. I know a lot of bosses won’t do a one-on-one unless they have a specific reason. In my experience just the process of having one on one meetings is constructive in itself. For example: one thing that’s happening in regular one-on-ones is that you’re building functioning relationships. Over time you’re getting to know what your employee likes, dislikes, what they are good at etc. Doing one-on-ones builds loyalty with your staff. It’s tough to quantify the benefits but anything that results in better people performance is a worthwhile investment.

QUALITY VARIES - HAVE BAD EXPERIENCES PUT YOU OFF?

The other reason managers don’t do one on ones is that they’ve had bad experiences in the past. Like all management, there is a vast difference between doing something and doing it well. Doing one on ones is better than not doing them, but the best way to do one on ones is to stick with a proven formula. that's why I made a free one on ones mini-course (Includes a one to one worksheet and one to one meeting agenda) to show you the best practice in effective one on one meetings.

CONCLUSION

There are a few natural leaders so most bosses spend years learning by failure. Copying what successful bosses do is the best way to avoid years of mistakes. Successful bosses know how regular one-on-ones improve communications and employee performance. It sounds too simple and unglamorous to be true but the most effective management technique is to do regular, high quality one on one meetings with your team.

P.s WHAT NO ONE SHOWED YOU ABOUT ONE ON ONE MEETINGS

Did anyone show you how to run a one on one meeting? No one showed me and so when I started managing I just kinda made it up as I went along. And this is what most bosses do because running a great One on One Meeting is a Manager Skill that they just don’t teach you in school. That’s why I made a free, online course so you don’t have to make the same mistakes that I did.

Improve your Manager Skills with 3 Steps to easy 1 on 1's. In this short course I show you how successful managers deliver results in less time. Improving your manager skills is the best way to boost your career and give you peace of mind and confidence in your work

Comments

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