Free Mini-Course: find out how to have effective One on One Meetings With Your Boss. (Includes a one one one discussion template and more tips to manage your boss)
When I had my first one on one meeting with my boss I was nervous. Because I really didn't know what to expect, I didn't know if I was in trouble and I didn't know what I had to prepare. In fact as a bit of a perfectionist without the best confidence I was quite anxious about my performance being reviewed and criticized. Being honest, as someone who doesn't like confrontation I was always tempted to avoid one-on-one meetings with my boss. But at the same time I wanted the recognition and bonuses for the hard work I had put in and I wanted to progress in my career.
I wish I'd learnt earlier how to manage my boss, because, now I realize that having a one on one meetings with your boss is the best thing possible. Because even if I had done something wrong, it was better to catch it early before it became an issue that meant I was going to miss out on my bonus or worse. And on top of that - if you have a boss that runs great one on one meetings then you're going to get a lot of other benefits. Like a better career and a better relationship with your boss.
How to Have Effective One on One Meetings With Your Boss
But just like everything else in management there is a best practice way to do things. And it doesn't matter if you've never had a one on one with your boss or if you've had hundreds. There is always something to learn and that's why I've made this short course for you. I wish I had known about this when I started out because I could've saved myself a lot of stress, a lot of time plus progressed faster in my career.
What To Remember...
One on Ones are Your Time With Your Boss
Maybe your boss set up the one on one meeting but a one on one is actually your time with your boss. Your boss can speak to you any time they want but one on ones are the only time that you get to speak to your boss about your interests.
The More Worthwhile You Make it for Your Boss, the Better it Will be for You Too
So Come prepared, make sure you cover the agenda stay fast & focussed.
Keeping Your Boss in the Loop is Good for You Both
I can share with you that bosses find it extremely frustrating if they don't know what their employees have been doing or what they are planning to do.
Tip: Package Your Communications
Some things your boss will want to know straight away. But in terms of efficiency and minimizing interruptions, bosses will appreciate it if you can "package up" your non urgent communication into one, time efficient package. Check with your boss what their preferences are.
What a One on One Does for You the Employee
A Better Boss Relationship
Chance to get to know the boss better and for the boss to know you better. After all your relationship with your boss is the most important work relationship you have.
A Forum to Solve Problems
Use the time during one on ones to share your problems with your boss to get help. (Note: Your boss is unlikely to want to get embroiled in inter-personal issues or job related problems that they think you should've taken care of)
Time to Prioritize
There are two mistakes that you can make with your priorities. The first is to work on priorities your boss doesn't value. Because this is just wasting your time and frustrating your boss. The second is to neglect priorities that your boss feels are important because your boss will feel like you aren't doing your job.
Actually as a quick aside this is a place where you can have the most benefit. Because what I've witnessed is that what the boss wants and what the employee does is almost always out of alignment. If you've ever had that feeling of working hard but your boss not appreciating you then there's a good chance that this is what is happening. And what you can do is:
- You can save yourself time by not doing stuff your boss doesn't want and,
- Get better bonuses and promotions by giving your boss exactly what they do want. This is your chance to clarify your priorities to make sure they are aligned with what your boss wants.
P.S. This is just a quick tip from my course on How to Manage Your Relationship With Your Boss. I show you how to do this in that module.
Personal and Career Growth for You
This is your chance to take on new responsibilities, improve your skills and develop your career.
Get Your Work and Contributions Recognized
It's not nice not being appreciated and it's dangerous if your boss doesn't appreciate the value that you bring. This is your chance to keep your boss in the loop about:
- What you're working on,
- Tasks you've completed,
- Problems you've solved and,
- What you've achieved.
Be Kept in the Loop by Your Boss
Maybe you like to feel included or you need to know what's going on to do your job. Either way one on one meetings with your boss are an open communication channel to find out what's going on.
Conclusion
So as you can see one on ones with your boss may be intimidating. But they have a massive potential to save you time, earn you more money and improve your work happiness. Learning how to manage my boss has been career changing!
But as with everything technique is important. And that's what I have a free mini course to show you what to do in your one on ones: One on One Meetings With Your Boss. (Includes a one one one discussion template.) The course is heaped with best practice and will show you:
- What you need to prepare for your one on one meeting with your boss and,
- What your role is.
Comments:
Do you have any questions, comments or tips about one on one meetings between bosses and employees? Do you have any tips to manage your boss? Please help the rest of us out by sharing in the comments below.
Boss Camp
You know how you can struggle with a problem for ages and then someone comes along and shows you a shortcut that works. Especially when it’s something complicated like with a computer problem. Well people are way more complex than computers so many bosses struggle for years with bad employee performance, like bad attitude, poor work etc. WWW.BOSS.CAMP is the best of the best, tried and tested practical people management tips and techniques to fix those stubborn employee problems. 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.
