Coming Up in May: Mastering 1:1 Meetings
What would you like to explore together?
We’re not done with the Leadership Reset series yet – but before we jump back in, I wanted to give you a heads-up on what’s coming in May.
One-on-one meetings are one of the most powerful tools a leader has – and one of the most dreaded. (Sometimes on both sides of the table.)
Maybe yours feel like they’ve become a status update you could’ve gotten in an email. Maybe you leave them wondering if your team member actually told you what’s going on. Or maybe you’re the leader who keeps pushing them off the calendar because you’re not sure they’re doing much good anyway.
If any of that sounds familiar, May is going to be for you.
We’re spending the month on Mastering 1:1 Meetings – a topic that came directly from our Leadership Council, and one I think every leader has something to learn about (myself included).
Here’s how the month will unfold:
We’ll kick things off with a 5-day challenge tackling the most common questions and sticking points leaders face when it comes to 1:1s – the things that make them feel awkward, unproductive, or like something you just endure.
Then, we’ll go deeper and look at how personality – specifically your Role and the Role of the team member you’re meeting with – shapes how you approach 1:1s. What you want out of them, how you run them, what frustrates you, and what your team members actually need from you in that room.
Have you taken our free Team Dynamics quiz yet? If not, now’s a great time – it’ll give you a head start on understanding the personality dynamics at play on your team before we dig in.
I’m still shaping the direction of this series, and I’d love your help deciding where to focus.
If you feel comfortable sharing, drop your questions or thoughts in the comments using any of these prompts – or just speak from your own experience.
I’ve opened up commenting on this post so everyone can respond.
What’s the biggest question you have about running effective 1:1s?
What makes a 1:1 feel like a waste of time for you – either as the leader or as the person on the other side?
Is there a specific 1:1 situation you’ve never quite figured out how to handle?
I read every response, and what you share will directly shape where this series goes in May.
And if you have a leadership topic you’d love to see covered in the future, all paying subscribers are invited to join the Leadership Council, where you can submit ideas directly.
I’m really looking forward to this one – 1:1s are one of those things that seem simple on the surface but get complicated fast once you factor in personality, power dynamics, and the fact that most of us were never actually taught how to have them.
We’ll get into everything come May.
But for now, we’re back to the Leadership Reset series next with a look at what a reset looks like for INTP leaders – see you there!
Until next time,
Carly from the 16Personalities team
1:1s feel like a waste when I ask my leader for help with something I don't have the power to solve, and they turn it back on me, telling me to start an initiative and get buy-in from peers or superiors to solve the problem, when what I need the leader to do is to leverage their power to get the buy-in for something that's going to help the team. It's important to recognise the difference between when someone needs you to lend them your power because they've exhausted theirs already and when they need to be pushed out of their comfort zone to grow.
It's also tough when there's a lack of rapport or trust in a 1:1, or where neither person is great at keeping the conversation going. Maybe it's because you don't know each other well, or because something dramatic has happened to the relationship, but how to make something productive of a cold relationship would be interesting.
Meetings feel like a waste of time if neither you nor the other person are going to do or change something as a result.
I don't like confrontation (ISTJ) so would appreciate some guidance on how to tell somebody off in a 1:1