Nearly 49% of employees are anxious before their 1:1s.

I used to be one of those employees. Every Tuesday I'd pace the parking lot in the scorching Scottsdale sun before my 1:1. 

Chances are your employees are also anxious.

Why are almost 1 out of 2 employees anxious before the 1:1 meeting 🤔?

It's because employees don't know what will be discussed in the 1:1. They don't know what to expect.

The answer to fix this is actually very simple.

Encourage your direct report to come to the 1:1 with an agenda of their choosing. This gives them autonomy to talk about what's on *their* mind and reduces their anxiety too. A classic win-win. 

Now before you give me an eye-roll 😒 for talking about agendas.

Let me tell you this:

Having done 2500 1:1s, I highly recommend an agenda. Here are three reasons:

• A 1:1 agenda will keep your meeting organized and flowing in the right direction. 
• It's also a great tool for your employees to come prepared versus winging the meeting. 
• An agenda will also tell you what's on your employee's mind and this will help you prepare for the meeting and also avoid being surprised.

Let's dive into what a 1:1 agenda looks like. I call it the 6P. As the name implies, the 6P agenda has six categories:

There's a very small chance that your employee is going to discuss all six categories all the time. It might happen, but not all the time. However, there's a really big likelihood that your employee is going to discuss the first three Ps: Progress, Priorities and their Problems. 

PROGRESS:

A great 1:1 begins with you giving your employee space to share all the AWESOME things they're doing. I call the progress category the brag category. Start your 1:1 on a high note.

PRIORITIES:

The priorities category isn't a laundry list of all priorities. That would just become a status update and defeat the point of a 1:1. This category should contain top of mind priorities that your employee wants to talk about.

PROBLEMS:

The problems category is one of the most important categories of the 6P agenda. You always want to make sure that you're listening to what your employee is going through. You're paying attention to the problems that they're bringing to this meeting. My guidance to you is not to rush the problems bucket. Stay in it as long as your employees need you to.

Don't forget the immense power and influence you have over your employee. It's only natural for them to be anxious before their 1:1s.

A great way to reduce their anxiety is to give your employee autonomy to pick what they want to talk about. The 6P agenda will accomplish that goal and immediately improve your 1:1s

Keep leading. 

Ali

PS: Want access to the 6P agenda plus a library of customizable templates for a discount? Click this link to grab it today.