Are you running an effective 1:1 meeting?

1:1s with your direct reports are likely a recurring calendar meeting. But are you actually accomplishing anything during those meetings? Or are they just another thing to check off your list?

Without any sort of framework or intentionality around them, 1:1s can easily become monotonous. But Robert Berris, Chief Innovation Officer at Atlanta-based Brightwell, says managers should start thinking about how to use meetings as a “tool to drive culture and drive change.”

Through a Q&A with Hypepotamus, Berris walked us through his do’s and don’ts around making a 1:1 meaningful for both managers and employees alike. Below are his thoughts, which have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Question: How should managers think about 1:1s?

Traditionally, a 1:1 is looked at as a safe space for you and an employee. It's an opportunity without having others around, without having pressure, to ask: What's going on? What roadblocks can I remove? How are things going in your role?

But I like to think of 1:1s as a tool to help drive culture and to create change in your organization. It is really hard as an executive to ensure that people are living up to your organization’s vision and mission. At Brightwell, for example, one of our core values is users first…so it is important for our managers to have conversations with employees and ask: “What did you do this week or this month to help users be first in our organization? Share a story about how you did that.” In a 1:1 format, we have an opportunity to talk about what part of your role did or did not allow you to do that.

1:1s can be always used to talk about interpersonal issues and challenges that come up. But if you're not talking about mission, vision, and values, it’s a really big missed opportunity.

How should you set up a 1:1?

Ask your employees if the 1:1s you're having today are effective, and ensure you understand why or why not. Ask them if they are looking for more coaching, directing, or teaching from you.

You probably want to meet with someone a couple times a month. I think the once-a-week model can be intense if you're a manager of more than six or seven people. But I also think you can figure out how time plays a factor for you. In other words, if you need to do a once a week check in because you're truly trying to make sure someone's doing okay and it's more of your wellness check, maybe a 15 minute one on one is okay.

As a manager, really think about how you are spending time with your employees…and maybe think about setting up several different types of 1:1s. Maybe a wellness check is shorter and a coaching one is longer.

What’s a sign that  a1:1 went well?

Your employee is your best feedback loop. By allowing the employee to have a voice in the 1:1 and drive some of the topics…it’s not skirting your responsibility, it is saying: “I want to make sure I’m not just talking at you.”

But your employee doesn’t know everything. Your employee might not be aware of internal company initiatives that your leadership team is trying to push. So you have to take their feedback into account. You also have to take into account what your managers and leaders are asking of you and if you are living up to that.

Does that look different in a remote environment?

I think of them in a similar way, at least structurally. But I encourage people to do 1:1s out of home offices, take a walk, or do anything to get away from the screen and the mental fatigue that comes with that. In a remote environment, people are just exhausted.