Um, what do you mean that "employees do not experience listening as a collection of theatrical techniques" ?!? Has my Hamilton-original-marketing-team-cred meant NOTHING to you?!
In all seriousness, I loved the entirety of this piece. I was speaking to a SVP today at a massive banking brand who flagged that even their quarterly reviews don't feel like enough to mitigate and prevent burnout. He felt like the diagnostic tools that exist are offering the "why" but not the "how" -- I think you've built a great guide here to the latter! (And you know how I feel about building accurate diagnostic tools...!)
Hell yeah Ashley! So glad this was in line with what you think is helpful and needed at the senior level. Odds you forward my unhinged essay to the svp lmao.
You know… the unglamorous actions that are consistent are what work. I want to think it’s the money and the other flashy stuff too. Alas!
I think depends on the approach and the skip. If the skip is good then it I think it has lots of benefit. More approach dependent than the standard adjacent level 1:1.
After 25 years in the corporate world, I can say this is one of the most underrated operational tools we have.
Organizations spend millions trying to measure engagement, retention, and culture while ignoring the one place where those things are built - the conversation between a manager and a human being.
A 1:1 is where you find the risks before they become fires.
Great article, thank you. It gave me a lot to think about how I have managed my 1:1 meetings in the past.
One thing I found as a manager was that asking people about their longer-term professional goals often led into conversations about promotions and pay rises. The challenging part was managing expectations.
What I always found fascinating was how often people saw career progression as something their manager was responsible for delivering, rather than something they had agency over themselves. The best conversations were always with people who were willing to take on feedback and actively work towards the next level, even if that ultimately meant their next opportunity was outside the company.
What are your thoughts on AI notetakers/recording tools in 1:1s? I personally hate it but since I work at an all remote company, we’re encouraged to use them. I never record, and I haven’t needed to ask for my manager to boot his bot, but I would if I brought up something more sensitive.
Um, what do you mean that "employees do not experience listening as a collection of theatrical techniques" ?!? Has my Hamilton-original-marketing-team-cred meant NOTHING to you?!
In all seriousness, I loved the entirety of this piece. I was speaking to a SVP today at a massive banking brand who flagged that even their quarterly reviews don't feel like enough to mitigate and prevent burnout. He felt like the diagnostic tools that exist are offering the "why" but not the "how" -- I think you've built a great guide here to the latter! (And you know how I feel about building accurate diagnostic tools...!)
Hell yeah Ashley! So glad this was in line with what you think is helpful and needed at the senior level. Odds you forward my unhinged essay to the svp lmao.
You know… the unglamorous actions that are consistent are what work. I want to think it’s the money and the other flashy stuff too. Alas!
It meant everything to me :)
What're your thoughts on skip-level meetings?
I think depends on the approach and the skip. If the skip is good then it I think it has lots of benefit. More approach dependent than the standard adjacent level 1:1.
After 25 years in the corporate world, I can say this is one of the most underrated operational tools we have.
Organizations spend millions trying to measure engagement, retention, and culture while ignoring the one place where those things are built - the conversation between a manager and a human being.
A 1:1 is where you find the risks before they become fires.
Great article, thank you. It gave me a lot to think about how I have managed my 1:1 meetings in the past.
One thing I found as a manager was that asking people about their longer-term professional goals often led into conversations about promotions and pay rises. The challenging part was managing expectations.
What I always found fascinating was how often people saw career progression as something their manager was responsible for delivering, rather than something they had agency over themselves. The best conversations were always with people who were willing to take on feedback and actively work towards the next level, even if that ultimately meant their next opportunity was outside the company.
What are your thoughts on AI notetakers/recording tools in 1:1s? I personally hate it but since I work at an all remote company, we’re encouraged to use them. I never record, and I haven’t needed to ask for my manager to boot his bot, but I would if I brought up something more sensitive.