How to have effective meetings with your manager
Although one on one meeting with your manager might be very uncommon in many offices, more and more companies understand the importance that these meetings have, both for the company and the employee.
If the meeting is well conducted it can be a great opportunity for feedback, coaching and clarifying ideas and goals that might have slipped away.
If your company is practicing this healthy habit take advantage of the opportunity to communicate with your manager and make the most out of the meeting. It will help you to be the best at your job and boost your growing possibilities at your company.
Therefore here is our best advice to make sure that your meetings with your manager are effective even if they only happen once a year.
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Don’t waste time, avoid status updates
There is a big chance that your Manager will try to talk to you about the on going projects, how they are developing and what are you working on. This is an easy way to lose time that could be used to talk about some other things that are not discussed so often.
A good idea is to give your status updates outside of the meeting. Have them ready to deliver either by mail, through a team meeting or maybe suggest a specific tool that will help show the different tasks done.
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Be prepared to share the things that you want to talk about during the meeting
Make your manager understand the importance and the need of this meeting. Many times they wrongly think that there is really nothing to talk about. It is actually on you to show that these meetings are relevant for the both of you.
So write down your ideas to be discussed and offer your manager to share them later through an email or any other form of communication if he or she feel it would be helpful.
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Share your achievements and your goals
Don’t be scared to point out your achievements during your time working for the company. It is also a good idea to think about it ahead and trying to link your goals to your achievements, making it easier for your manager to see the connection and how it makes sense for you to get your goals.
When it comes to your goals, be clear and what you aspire based on what you are currently working on, make them see how you are taking care of both your career and the company’s projects. If your manager knows what your goals are, the path to get there might be easier.
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Ask for input and advice
Make your manager understand that you see him or her as a reference. If you come into the meeting with questions about your career and their experience they will relate with you better and it can develop to a productive mentor relationship.
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Finish your meeting by talking about the next steps to follow
Your meeting might feel as really productive, but if you don’t identify together how you should proceed based on what you talked about, then there is a chance it will end up in just forgotten words.
To avoid this, set a plan, go back to each of the points you discussed and propose steps related to each one of them. Take some notes and use them as starters for the next 1 on 1 meeting agenda.
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Offer your help and support
Finally, make sure to share with your manager the fact that you are willing to help them too, ask how you can help to make a big difference. Showing that empathy and commitment will for sure set a difference and will also make your manager see these 1 on 1 meetings more productive than they used to.
