Explainer: How to Make the Most of One-on-One Meetings with Your Boss

Lets delve into how to make the most of one-on-one meetings with your boss to help create trust and solidify your relationship with your manager.

During the epidemic, the nature of how and where we undertake our job has changed dramatically.

Visibility is important whether you’re at the office, working from home, or transitioning to a hybrid approach.

One-on-one meetings with your boss are a great way to talk about priorities, get feedback, create trust, and solidify relationships.

According to a survey of over three million workers, the pandemic has resulted in longer working hours and a 13 percent rise in meeting attendance.To put it another way, we’re overburden.

One-on-one meetings with your boss on the other hand, should not be the first to depart.

Although the responsibilities of the workplace might occasionally get in the way.

Evan Parker, senior vice president and general manager of content operations at The Athletic, believes that regular engagement is still important.

“Regular check-in meetings are sometimes the first to be canceled,” Parker explains.

“If your direct report is strong, you may mistakenly believe that meetings are unnecessary.

However, no matter how capable your direct report is, a frequent meeting is essential.”

Your one-on-one sessions with your boss are crucial for ensuring that your achievements and professional development needs are a proiority.

Here are three strategies you may use to maximize your one-on-one meetings with your Boss

Make a List of Goals

As a career coach, I’m frequently asked how much preparation is necessary for a meeting with a boss.

My standard response is that planning and preparation are critical.

Even if your one-on-one meetings are only informal check-ins, I advocate doing so because your manager’s time is valuable.

Preparing ahead of time will give you the best chance of getting the most out of your interactions.

If feasible, decide ahead of time who will establish the agenda for your one-on-one meetings.

Some managers want to take the lead, while others prefer their direct reports to set the agenda, and still others prefer to work together.

At the start of the conversation, summarize the agenda, but be open to adjustments.

In both Germany and the United States, Albert Yeh, vice president of international sales and operations at Ergon USA, has direct reports.

“For the feedback loop, one-on-one encounters are critical,” Yeh explains. “In general, the individual has topics they’d like to talk about.

There is sometimes a push to have some deep epiphany or milestone.But it is perfectly fine for things to remain as they are.”

Reviewing and reporting on current goals is a common part of meeting preparation, especially when time is restricted.

Additionally, consider the larger context of your work.

For instance, how is your present working relationship with your boss? What’s working and what’s not? Where do you require assistance or wish to advance in your career?

If your reflections reveal that your working relationship could be better, take action.

Don’t be disheartened; your one-on-one sessions are an excellent opportunity to engage in creating trust and proving your dedication to your work.

Consider whether the breakdown in your professional relationship is the result of a performance issue, a communication breakdown, misplaced expectations, or a personality conflict.

Then think about how you can utilize your time together to fix the problem.

Be proactive and concentrate on what you can influence.

Inquire about how you can assist your supervisor, get input on priorities, and pay attention to their goals and preferences.

Determine how you want to be perceived at work in addition to your meeting agenda.

In essence, the question I would like you to consider is:

“What do I want my manager to know about me, my performance, what I’m working on, and what I’m working toward at the end of the meeting?”

After you’ve thought about it, figure out how you’ll communicate and live it during your time together.

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Bring your best self to your one-on-one encounters, whether they are conducted over the phone, via video, or in person.

Embrace a good attitude because it is contagious and contagiousness is contagious.

It’s a simple and effective technique to establish a positive first impression.

Keep an eye on your body language.

Being mindful of nonverbal clues is an important aspect of bringing your best self to a meeting.

It’s easy to overlook that our body language communicates a lot.

Consider how you present yourself in meetings, whether virtual or in person.

Sitting up straight, for example, communicates attentiveness.

Whereas slouching in your seat during a meeting communicates that you don’t want to be there.

Smiling and maintaining adequate eye contact not only improves rapport.But it also gives the impression that you are trustworthy and confident.

Physical signals are just as significant as verbal signals.

Even while you’re on the phone, the tone of your voice is important.

It’s not just because of the impression you’ll make that your body language is your hidden weapon.

You can benefit from changing your body language as well.

Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist, demonstrates in her viral TED talk that when you use powerful, positive body language.

By providing subliminal instructions to your brain that perpetuate happy, confident feelings, you simultaneously give yourself a boost.

Demonstrate that you can solve problems.

Prepare to share results as well as discuss issues during your one-on-one encounters.

You’ll stand out if you try to solve difficulties for your boss. Recognize when to listen and when to provide a recommendation.

Early in my work, I learned a crucial lesson. I had an uncanny ability to draw attention to flaws without even realizing it.

“Don’t come to me with the problem; come to me with the solution,” my supervisor said during one of those observations. For me, a lighting went off at that precise moment.

By pointing out the stumbling blocks, I believed I was being helpful.

Instead, I needed to anticipate prospective issues and offer suggestions about how we could avoid them.

Consider where you could stand up and make an influence on a business objective that is essential to your manager when it comes to problem-solving.

When you’re looking at the broad picture, don’t forget about your teammates and junior members.

Ask your boss if there are any places where you can help address a problem by collaborating with others.

You could teach someone a new skill or offer advice on how to overcome a problem.

When it comes to problem-solving, it’s important to be receptive to both positive and negative input.

It’s not easy to be the recipient of bad feedback.

In real time and in private, good managers will do their best to provide constructive criticism.

Use constructive criticism to your benefit if you receive it. It may be difficult to swallow at the time, but be respectful and professional.

Be an excellent listener who can also solve problems. Take it, learn from it, and figure out how to solve it.

One-on-one sessions with your boss can help you advance your career.

Consider your priorities and professional development goals when you work with your manager to determine how the agenda for your meetings will be created.

Use your body language to emphasize your words and actions during meetings.

Be a good listener, welcome comments, and solve problems first.

After your one-on-ones, take some time to think about areas where you might grow, adapt, or focus in the future.

This approach reaffirms your dedication to issue solving for your boss, your team, and your own career, which is a valuable skill to have.

Importantly, do what you say you’ll do between meetings – don’t overpromise and underdeliver.

Maintain accountability for your deliverables and career objectives. I promise it won’t go unnoticed if you do so.

Review these pointers to ensuring a productive one-on-one meetings with your boss, regardless of the topic:

Determine what you’ll discuss with your manager

Whether you or your manager requested a one-on-one meeting.

Make sure you and your boss are on the same page about what you want to talk about.

You can do this by sending them an email with one or more themes you wish to focus on before moving on to other topics.

Make a list of topics you’d like to address at the meeting.

You may ensure that you cover all of the things you planned to discuss with your supervisor during the meeting by developing a list.

You can also bring the list with you and use it as a guide to help you through the conversation.

Consider the encounter as a good opportunity.

Whether you’re going into the meeting to discuss performance, compensation issues, internal promotions, or workplace mishaps, try to keep a good attitude.

You can see it as an opportunity for professional growth and improved communication with your boss.

Come up with problem-solving ideas and solutions.

If you plan to discuss issues with job responsibilities, software, or other concerns, develop a list of possible solutions to bring with you to the meeting.

This demonstrates to companies that you are creative as well as enthusiastic about your job.

The day prior, confirm your meeting time.

You remind your supervisor of your arranged meeting time and demonstrate your professionalism by confirming your meeting the day before.

You should go with a notepad.

During a one-on-one discussion with your manager, they may share crucial information with you about areas where you need to improve, tasks you need to do, or boost percentages and professional development research.

Bringing a notepad allows you to take notes and ensure that essential details are remembered afterwards.

Give yourself time for small conversation.

While it’s critical to have a productive meeting and stay on goal, this is also an excellent opportunity to get to know your supervisor and develop a strong relationship with them.

This may happen at the start of the meeting and can assist you transition to other topics.

Inquire about comments.

When you have your boss’s complete attention during a one-on-one meeting, this is the ideal time to ask for genuine feedback.

You can do this by asking them how they felt about a recent project you worked on or what areas they would want to see you develop in.

Don’t be hesitant to ask a lot of questions.

During a meeting with your supervisor, they may use phrases or discuss issues that you are unfamiliar with.

You may ensure that you leave the meeting with a full knowledge of additional tasks, performance improvements, or salary raises by asking as many clarifying questions as possible.

Bring up your career objectives.

Whether you’re meeting with your employer to discuss performance, compensation issues, or just to check in.

Make sure you use the time you have to reaffirm your career aspirations with the organization.

This demonstrates to your manager that you value your job and desire to take on new duties as they become available.

Make a strategy for the future.

After the meeting, chat with your employer about the next steps and, if required, set up another meeting time.

For instance, you decide to meet with your supervisor again the following month to discuss your development with teamwork skills.

Send a thank-you email and a follow-up email.

Write a concise email thanking your supervisor for their time and describing the issues you addressed as well as your future plans after the meeting.

As an example, “Thank you again for taking the time to discuss how I may better my contributions to the department.

I’m looking forward to our next meeting next month.”

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