A Simple Reusable One-On-One Plan

Poorly planned one-on-ones squander time. You’re thinking, “Hurry up. I have real work to do.”

Reusable one-on-one plans save time.

Provide clarity, freedom, and confidence with reusable one-on-one plans.

Reusable one-on-one plans save time. Image of a person looking at a confusing bulletin board.

A reusable one-on-one plan:

  1. Prepare in 3-minutes.
  2. Define success.
  3. Turn toward the future.
  4. Ask questions. Listen more than talk.
  5. Don’t fix.
  6. Create a goal.
  7. Challenge and support. (Design specific actions and establish accountability.)

Prepare:

Before team members show up, take three minutes to prepare.

  1. Review notes in OneNote or equivalent. Notes written on paper waste time. You can’t find them when you need them.
  2. Release stress. Breathe deep for a minute.
  3. Bring to mind something you admire about your team member.
  4. Identify how you want to show up.
  5. Welcome them with optimism.
One-on-one plans: Define the win before you begin. Image of a person trapped in an hour glass.

Define success:

Determine the win before you begin.

Ask your team member:

  1. What’s going to make this a great conversation for you?
  2. Imagine this conversation is over, what’s a great outcome?
  3. Suppose we have a useful conversation, what will we accomplish?
I'm a huge fan of spontaneity, but spontaneity is not an excuse for lack of preparation. Image of lights in hand.

Turn toward the future:

The past is a platform that can’t be changed. Explore and evaluate the past, but don’t park there.

Disappointment follows frustration when you idle in the past.

Turn toward the future:

  1. What’s happening? What do you want to happen?
  2. What’s working? What could be better?
  3. What’s not working? What do you need to stop doing? (Actions that don’t add value.)
  4. What’s holding you back? What could you do to create forward momentum?
  5. Bring up a project that’s going good and ask, “What’s making this project go well? How can you do more of that, specifically?”
  6. Bring up a recurring concern. Ask, “What have you been trying to fix this? What else might you try?” (More of the same produces more of the same.)

Successful one-on-ones always turn toward the future.

What do reusable one-on-one plans look like to you?

Still curious:

5 Energizing Conversation Starters for One-on-Ones

How to Stop Wasting Time in One-on-Ones

How to Make Your One-on-Ones with Employees More Productive

Category : Meetings and agendas, Leading
Tags :