How to run Successful 1-on-1s
How well do you really know your team?
Teammm, welcome back!! We’ve had 2 weeks off and I’m writing thisblog post today so you can go into 2025 with a SOLID system for running 1on1s with your team.
The traditional appraisal system is wildly outdated. It doesn’t work and if we don’t switch it up we’ll get left behind.
You need a system, that runs seamlessly to understand your team, so you can continue to challenge and fulfil them at work.
Luckily for you, I have spent years testing and refining this system, testing the questions, the frequencies and more, so it’s now literally plug and play ready for you to start using.
Today I’m laying out my 4 step 1on1 system. I’ve done it in blog format, a YouTube video, and linked out a full set of free agenda downloads at the bottom for you to use, so make sure you scroll down to get those.
The mistakes
First let’s address some common mistakes I’ve seen over and over in our appraisal/feedback systems:
Assuming our team's priorities are the same as our own (eg. You want promotions & pay rises, they may prioritise creativity or rest).
Only doing ‘appraisals’ annually (Bottling up feedback, praise and general performance improvement work until it’s all way too late).
Just saying ‘my door is always open’ (This isn’t enough, our team naturally don’t want to ‘bother’ us).
The method
So today we’re breaking down the 4 key components of a robust 1-2-1 and appraisal system for your team, including downloads that I’d encourage you to use
Here’s a zoomed out view of the system. Each employee should have:
Every year - Salary Review
I’d suggest every 6 months for growing companies with less than 30 staff, as responsibilities are regularly changing
The aim of the annual review is to ensure the employee is paid fairly, has a space to discuss their wins and reasons.Every 90 Days - In-depth 1-2-1
Every 2 weeks - 30 mins in the calendar
No agenda needed here. Just some simple rules:30 minute calendar entry, regularly occurring every 2 weeks
You (the Leader) can NEVER cancel it. The team member may, but never you.
No agenda needed, this is just space being held for you and your team member to bring anything important to you
Every day - Regular, unignored praise & difficult conversations
Challenge your team at the time, never bottle it up. Don't discourage emotion (It isn't weak. It shows that you care). Never EVER ignore the difficult conversations.
Watch the full video breakdown below:
Next is to give you all the agendas for each second of the 1-2-1s, so you can literally just download and send them across to your team to use…
Agenda downloads
Peace,
H x
P.S. We’re running some free, mini webinars over the next few weeks, i’m keeping these pretty quiet for now because i’m still testing the format - grab your spot