In my previous post about writing a resume, I found myself in both sides of the table, as interviewer and interviewee and this is also the case. I’ve been doing 1:1s from both sides of the table. As a software engineer trying to find meaning to the meeting and as an engineering manager looking to get the most out of the session. If you are an Engineering Manager looking to improve your 1:1s with your team members this could help you. If you are a Software Engineer and every time your 1:1 with your manager is close to start, you feel like it is “another meeting to waste time, this will help you too.
Not all companies are the same
Obvious but very important. Not all companies and teams are the same. Reporting structure, team size and dynamics will play together and define how the relationship between an Engineering Manager and a team member is going to be. When I started my management track I was working with a team of 2 engineers and coding at the same time. As the team started to grow, I not only had to stop coding but I also needed to use tools and mechanisms to keep track of everything that was happening around. And then, 1:1s with the team became even more important.
What is a 1:1?
I will start with the opposite. A 1:1 is not a status update. The team is probably already doing some kind of "agile, so that information can be obtained in a different meeting or (even better) asynchronously. Avoid discussing how the project is going or when feature X is going to be finished.
A 1:1 is a space where the stage is for the engineer. And that person is the one who should be leading the meeting. That time should be used to ask questions, complain (always in a constructive way) and share feedback with your manager (and vice-versa).
For engineering managers, this is the perfect time to understand each individual better. Are there any urgent needs? How can you help this team member grow? Are there conflicts inside the team? What about between teams?
Regularity and duration
I tend to schedule 1:1s weekly and with a 45 mins duration. Sometimes there are not many topics and the meeting ends early and in other scenarios we even cancel on the spot if there are no topics to discuss. Some engineers told me that once every other week was perfect for them so while I was doing weekly 1:1s with some members of the team, others would prefer to leave a week in between. All options are fine as long as there’s constancy. As managers we should pay attention to open the conversation when the other person doesn't bring topics. There's always something to discuss about. Use this time wisely.
Setup and Tools
Nowadays almost all meetings happen through video conference but, in the past (and hopefully in the near future) I tend to ask the other person’s preference. A meeting room, a coffee shop, a walk in the park. I would always leave those options open and ask what the preference is. Sometimes sensitive topics are better discussed in a private environment or it could be just too cold to go outside. Mixing different options make these talks more dynamic and friendlier.
As for tools, I’ve tried different things and nothing added much value to me. I just use google docs to keep some notes. With each engineer I work with, I have a separate document that’s shared between both of us with a list of the past and upcoming sessions. I ask the other person to open the document before the 1:1 and add any topics that wants to discuss and I would do the same if I have any. If there are too many, at the beginning of the meeting we will briefly decide together which are the most important ones and focus on those first. If the outcome of that meeting ends with something that needs to be done for the following session, I would write it down there as well. It’s not fancy but it’s effective. You can do it as you talk or just at the end of the meeting (specially if you chose to do a walk in the park). Being able to keep track of topics improves the conversation flow and also can help following up with bigger arguments.
Career Development Plan
1:1s are a perfect opportunity to discuss about career development plans. I’ve been working with a simple template that I share with each individual which we discuss about at least every other session. I share it as a blank template and ask the engineer to fill it. Once completed we refine it together.
The document has 6 items:
- Self assessment: Where you currently are at.
- Goals: List of short and mid term goals (e.g. learn something, get a promotion, change role).
- Strategies: Ideas that will help complete those goals such as completing studies, taking ownership of a task, preparing an internal talk or organizing a knowledge sharing session.
- Resources: Material that can help you with your goals. This can be books, an online course, a conference you want to attend.
- Timeline: Concrete timelines combining strategies and resources. (e.g. by end of this month I will finish this online course).
- Achievements: Results gained during this time. This will start empty and be filled continuously.
Keeping the document up to date has several benefits:
- It sets clear expectations between the manager and the team member.
- Opens up the discussion on how to reach those goals. Here, the manager can fully support the engineer by suggesting resources and ways to get there..
- When a goal is near to be completed, if it involved a promotion, raise or change of role it usually requires a whole internal process for approval within the company. Having a document like this makes it simpler, faster and smoother.
Manager’s Feedback
On top of everything mentioned above, 1:1s are the best opportunity for managers to provide constructive feedback and of course, the other way around. There’s nothing more frustrating as an engineer when companies do 3, 6 or 12 months performance reviews and when you sit down with your manager to see that feedback, you are surprised by it. To me, those are formalities that are not bad but should never be a surprise. If as a manager I have to point out things to improve to the other person, I must do that on the regular 1:1s and not just at the end of a quarter or year.
Chill
In the current times where most of us are working from home, there’s no “coffee break talks” so don’t forget to also use a part of the meeting time to talk about life. We, as individuals, are used to it 🎉.