Driving 1:1 with your manager
Effective tips to drive 1:1 with your manager
👋 Hi, welcome to this week’s newsletter. This week, I’m writing about how you can drive your 1:1 for career growth and sharing my experience.
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When I started my career, I had no idea what to talk about in 1:1 meetings. I used to avoid them and wished they get cancelled due to any reason. It was not due to my job or my manager, I was just nervous and stressed talking about my work and growth.
Over the years, I came to realize that 1:1s are the most impactful resource you have which can help you grow your career, build trust, build relationships and provides a safe environment to raise your concerns.
Effectively utilizing 1:1 is a skill in itself
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I used to think that my manager would drive 1:1 and it is for them to know more about my work, which was obviously wrong. In fact, 1:1 is for IC and should be driven by IC. No one will care about your career growth more than yourself, right ?
I schedule two types of 1:1s with my manager
Check In 1:1 (Weekly) - 25 minutes
Growth 1:1 (Monthly) - 25 minutes
Check In 1:1 (Weekly)
Hi, Hello and Fun Talks (5 minutes)
I love talking to my colleagues and my manager about life outside work. I really value the personal connections I build and it is an important part of my work life
I spent a lot of my 1:1s talking about my weekends or the vacation I took. I love to know how their family is, what they did and what they are looking forward to.
Building connections with my managers has been crucial. It goes beyond the time we worked together on a team. Even now, years later, I easily chat with my past managers. These connections were made through casual talks we had back then.
Status Updates (10 minutes)
Your manager won’t know in detail what you have been working on, so this is a great time to bring that up and have the visibility. I usually talk about
Status on projects (milestones, blockers, timelines)
Help needed from manager - extra resources, learning resources etc
Org-wide or company wide initiatives that you are involved in and how they are going.
Upcoming PTOs or leave (if any)
This is also a great time for you to get feedback on your work and gather signals from the feedback
Take notes on feedback
Follow up on the action items async if there are.
Growth Conversation (5 minutes)
You must be wondering why I just keep 5 minutes for growth. Well, I do a special growth 1:1 every month for my career growth in company Here, I talk only about growth outside company
In these 5 minutes, I mostly discuss about:
Any opportunities I might have missed my manager can point me to. There are always plenty.
Any ideas I have for the team or org which we can implement.
Any conference I would like to got or any course I would like to enroll in
Skill development which can help me in career
Can I Help You ? (5 minutes)
Aside from the points mentioned earlier, one of the most crucial lessons I've gained is the importance of asking, "How can I be of assistance?"
Even in your 1:1 interactions, it is essential to recognize that your manager is human, facing their own set of goals, aspirations, stresses, and challenges. Often, they too report to higher-level managers.
By actively contributing to your manager's success and growth—whether by assisting with their projects, sharing responsibilities, or suggesting new team visions—you can make a positive impact.
Simply inquire, "How can I help?" If the response is initially limited, persist in asking during each one-on-one meeting.
Growth 1:1 (Monthly)
Other than weekly checkins, I have a growth 1:1 scheduled every first week of the month. The objective of this is to get clear feedback, get clarity on my trajectory and create an action plan for the month.
In Meta, performance is determined by 4 areas and I make sure to go over each area and know my performance.
If my performance is lagging in a particular area, I make sure to spend more time on it and fill in missing pieces.
This is also a great chance to go over your goals for the half or year and make sure you are in the right direction. A lot of times priorities and goals change, so this is great opportunity to reflect and discuss with your manager
My objective from growth 1:1 is to
Make sure I get the rating I want and not be surprised at the time of performance evaluation.
Get clarity on areas I need to work on so I can spend more time on them.
Create an action plan with manager which will help me grow to next level.
Hope you enjoyed reading “How to drive 1:1 with your manager”
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