UPLIFT: March 03, 2022

PERSPECTIVE

Life is a Series of Moments

“Life is not one big long odyssey, but rather a millions of tiny moments stacked to together.”

We cannot plan to lead a great life or have an adventurous journey, but we can choose to live a great moment at a time.

If we can live most of these moments to their fullest, we would have lived an interesting life when we look back.

The trick to living each moment is being present in it, and not in the faraway land of tomorrow and the history of yesterday.

Sometimes, when we wait for the perfect time to start living life, thousands of moments pass us for the perfect time seldom comes.”

CAREER CONUNDRUM

Question: What do you cover in your 1:1s with your Manager?

Many companies have this culture of 1:1 discussions between the manager and the employee. Yet, as I converse with colleagues and team members from across industries there is consensus that most of the 1:1s either don’t happen or are often ineffective.

If our carriers are a journey, and then think of 1:1s as the radar that tells us if we are on track to the next destination and makes sure we aren’t lost. Of course, it only works this way if we know how to use it. For if we look at the compass or even a map upside down, it will confuse us more than lead us.

Here are some pointers to make them effective.

Frequency Is Important: Having a 1:1 too frequently means its effectiveness is lost as there isn’t much to cover. While the ideal frequency varies for each person, anything more than once a fortnight is bit too much in my view, unless you are using it for business/ project updated (which I do not recommend). Ideally, once in 2-3 weeks, for 30-45 mns works well.

Timing: Each of us has a pattern to our day. There are times when we are energetic and focused, and other times when we are going through the motions or even distracted. Ideally you set-up these sessions at the time of day when your manager is more active, and you can easily decipher this by viewing his energy level/ interactions over time.

Scheduled It: If the 1:1s are scheduled they happen 80% of the times, but if they aren’t on the calendar it’s unlikely they will happen any time before the appraisal season.

Come Prepared: A lot of people I know often wait for their manager to drive the pace and agenda of the 1:1, unless it’s close to appraisal time. Irrespective of how awesome your manager maybe, he/ she is never going to have the same level of dedication to your career as you have.

It’s important to have a structured agenda that you discuss. The agenda in turn is driven by what your goals are. A five point recurring agenda is a good starting point.

1.       Manager’s Expectation of You (this doesn’t change every fortnight, but useful to revisit. I typically have this written down and we quickly glance over it. Anything more than 3-4 priorities is too much detail).

2.       Update on What Did I Do In the Last Fortnight

3.       Feedback on My Work from the Fortnight: What went well, and what could I do better? (If there are specific aspects you are looking to improve on add them to the feedback list.)

4.       What I am Planning to Focus on the Fortnight Ahead? Anything the manager would add/ edit for the priorities ahead?

5.       Any Ask for Support You have from the Manager explicitly (for instance, you want a connection request, or a budget or something go prepared with the ‘Why’ and business case).

Bonus tip: I recommend asking the manager this question after every 3rd or 4th 1:1 (i.e. once in 6 to 8 weeks): How would you rate my progress on a scale of 1-10 in terms of my next destination (your next destination may be a promotion, or a more coveted project, or working with someone in the team that you expect to learn from. Ideally though, keeping the promotion as a subject of conversation in every 1:1 is distracting).

Summarize the Next Steps: It’s important to summarize on the next steps and key action areas that emerge from the discussion, ideally in a document/ email that both you and your manager have access to, This is shows you are diligent and sets you apart for 90% of others, and equally it serves as a starting point for your next 1:1.

POINT TO PONDER

On a scale of 1-10 how effective are your 1:1 conversations with your manager? What’s that one thing that you could do to make them more useful?