Manager’s Blueprint: How to run one on one meetings

When executed properly, one on one meetings with your team members can be a powerful tool to decentralize ownership, boost team performance, and foster personal growth.

However, when these meetings are unstructured and not prepared in advance, topics are often discussed in hypotheticals and become overly opinionated. It makes sense why everyone hates and avoids them.

In this article, you'll learn how to structure meetings as a manager with your team members. We'll explore techniques to keep meetings sharp and on-point, ultimately leading to better team performance and maximum impact.

One on one meeting agenda & structure

To make this article truly relatable and value-packed, I sat down with Vuk, who's helping us grow Kadar.

He shared a personal story from his time as Head of Growth at lemlist. As their first employee, Vuk helped grow the company from $12K to $13.5M in revenue.

Midway through his journey, lemlist marketing team expanded from 4 to 9 full-time employees, plus a few part-time freelancers. Shortly after, Vuk faced what he considers his most challenging career hurdle to date.

He had to learn how to be less hands-on, find effective ways to hit KPIs through others, and become the best manager possible for his team.

To help him transition from his DIY approach to a more structured one, Vuk worked with a mentor who had a few years' edge in experience. The results he was able to see were amazing:

• Micromanagement and duplication of work were eliminated
• Each team member took ownership of a channel and its KPIs, with full support
• Work was executed faster, with deadlines met more consistently
• The team felt less overwhelmed and burned out; CEO was thrilled with the new structure
• Vuk became less operational and more supportive in his role

A significant change was Vuk's approach to meetings. He not only revamped his preparation process but also continually refined his routines throughout his career.

One of the first questions Jeremy asked me when we worked together was:

“How many meetings do you do weekly?”

"Two. One with my CEO, and one marketing team call—that's it," Vuk replied.

"Big mistake!" his mentor said.

Here’s how the meeting routines looked like at lemlist:

• Weekly 1:1s with each team member (30 minutes)
• Weekly 1:1 call with CEO (30 minutes)
• Weekly call with department heads (45 minutes)
• Ad hoc 1:1s with other department heads or team members (30 minutes)

We will break down each of these meetings, exploring how they were prepared and what templates were used.

After taking on a role as VP of Marketing at Big Interview later, Vuk mentioned he added one more meeting and modified the way he conducted employee evaluations:

• 3x quarterly and 1x annual performance reviews with each team member (45 minutes)
• Annual 1:1 Career Call with each team member (30-45 minutes)

I'll briefly touch on these two as well and show you how they were run.

After reviewing my notes and digging deeper into the subject, I realized that you can tell a lot about a company or a manager just by looking at how they run meetings.

Now, this is where things get interesting. Let's dive into what happens behind the scenes during each of these calls, and explore the 1:1 meeting templates Vuk used to great effect.

Weekly 1:1 meetings with team members

One-on-one meetings with employees are crucial. For managers, the purpose of one on one meetings is to delegate ownership, gain insights into progress, individual strengths, and areas needing improvement. They provide an opportunity to coach and guide employees toward their full potential.

For employees, 1:1s with manager are a chance to show what they can do, seek feedback, share ideas, and voice concerns. In turn, this can boost their confidence, clarify expectations, and foster a sense of belonging and value within the company.

The way Vuk was running them was by following 3 simple rules:

1. Every meeting must be prepared in advance. That way, both sides know what the topics are, they can come prepared, and the conversation is sharp. This was accomplished by having a one on one meeting agenda.
2. Vuk's role isn't to dominate the conversation or lead the charge. In meetings with his Content Strategist, for example, it's up to them to take ownership of content and be proactive. Vuk only follows along, offers help or challenges the narrative when needed. Effectively, the leader’s job here is to know when to lead and when to follow.
3. Sharing reports or explaining broad info during the call is unacceptable. These can be shared beforehand in the one-on-one meeting template. Instead, use the time in 1:1s is used to remove obstacles and ensure we’re on track to hit our targets.

This approach offers three key benefits. First, the meeting feels productive due to thorough preparation, keeping both parties focused.

Second, Vuk stays informed about the progress and next steps across all marketing initiatives.

Third, as their manager, Vuk can objectively assess each team member's impact on specific initiatives.

Here’s the 1:1 meeting template he used:

Why?
‍This meeting is about you and me having meaningful, high-level discussions about work, challenges ahead and opportunities we need to take advantage of. So don’t use it to give me updates that can be emailed.

How to?
‍Please fill this template by the end Friday for the next week. Once filled, share the link to the template with WHO.

Your topics:
-
-

‍Vuk’s topics:
-
-

What was done last week?
‍(key actions only, no micro tasks)

What will be done this week?
(key actions only, no micro tasks)

Scoreboard:
‍[add key metrics here]

Vuk uses Notion as his go-to project management tool, so all these templates are stored in his team's Notion.

Here are a few interesting observations on how the template works:

• When a team member writes their topics, they are pushed to be specific. So instead of writing things like "Churn is a problem", they would say "Churn increased by X MoM, my assumption is because of Y, and I wanted to pick your brain on implementing WHAT as a solution". The same policy applies to Vuk's topics as well.
• If the team member had documents or reports to share on churn, they would simply add them.
• The rest of the template was automated and there was no need for manual input. Since everyone's tasks were listed in Notion, they would automatically appear using filters such as "Person" and "Status".
• Scoreboards aka reports were also populated automatically, showcasing KPIs from specific persons.

That’s it!

Now, imagine you want to streamline your workflow by connecting 1:1 meetings with each team member's Action Plan and Career Growth. Centralize all info relevant to an employee's performance, syncs with calendars, and add supportive content like customized courses to boost everyone's effectiveness.

I’d be looking to first create a one on one meeting routine in Kadar.

✅ Take action: Create your 1:1 meeting routines for free. Structure agendas, connect them with KPIs, and individual development plans to centralize key info about your people's growth.

Once created, I’d be able to see all the information about any team member in one clean space, which not only saves me time but helps me connect the dots.

Here’s how that would look like:

• Insights: Surveys and evaluations of individual performance
• Action Plans: Aligning expectations with team members on steps needed for advancement, salary increases, and promotions
• Learning: Attaching custom courses to support skill development
• Notes: Adding both shared and private progress notes
• 1-on-1s: Creating all meetings in one place, defining agendas and frequency

To wrap up, every 1 on 1 meeting needs to have a purpose. Use your 1-on 1 meeting agenda template to outline specific goals for each session. These could include discussing progress on current projects, addressing any challenges, providing feedback, or exploring professional development opportunities.

Encourage your team members to contribute to the agenda beforehand. This not only ensures that important topics are covered but also empowers employees to take an active role in shaping these conversations.

Weekly 1:1s with your CEO/Boss

In the startup world, Vuk had these meetings with CEOs.

In this scenario, unlike meetings with his team, it's Vuk's responsibility to lead and own the narrative. These meetings typically cover discussing progress on current projects, addressing challenges, and exploring marketing opportunities for further company growth.

As in the previous example, it's still unacceptable for Vuk to discuss basic matters or share reports the CEO could easily access on their own. CEOs need to trust their department leaders to stay ahead of the game and deliver positive ROI.

That's why it's crucial to be sharp, on point, and strive to simplify your CEO's life. With lemlist's CEO, Vuk had an interesting routine:

• On Fridays, he would send a quick email containing key updates, a summary of team's activities, impact, and the 1:1 meeting template. This allowed the CEO to add any questions and concerns to the template.
• The following Monday, Vuk would meet with his CEO to provide deeper observations, seek guidance or approvals, and address any concerns.

The meeting template wasn't dramatically different from the one you saw in the previous chapter. If needed, you can additionally fine-tune it to fit your style.

Meetings with other departments

Weekly, Co-Founders and department heads gathered for a 45-minute meeting. They'd update each other on the latest high-level developments in their respective departments and, when necessary, seek cross-departmental support.

For example, if marketing needed assistance from Sales or CS teams, they would meet separately to discuss it in greater detail. This approach prevents wasting others' time during the weekly Heads of meeting.

These "ad hoc meetings" were typically organized for cross-departmental projects, involving both managers and employees who had been assigned ownership of specific tasks.

Weekly Heads of meeting also head a template which looked something like this:

CEO’s topics:
-
-

CTO’s topics:
-
-

Head of [DEPARTMENT] topics:
-
-

The sole rule was that each department's update must be delivered within 5–6 minutes, ensuring the discussion remained focused and efficient. Of course, micro topics weren’t discussed.

Employee evaluation meeting

When Vuk took over the reigns at Big Interview as their VP of Marketing, he read a book called Radical Candor. It left a big impression and motivated him to update he way he executes employee evaluations.

Throughout the year, Vuk and his team members would undergo three quarterly evaluations, with the final one serving as an annual assessment.

Even though the system was inspired by Radical Candor, Vuk implemented a few modifications for the marketing team. He was happy to share them with me.

The evaluation system consists of four key categories:

• Teamwork: Ability to collaborate effectively and inspire team members
• Proactiveness: Anticipate challenges, stay ahead, and take initiative in problem-solving
• Efficiency: Skill in delivering work on time, with consideration for justified deadline extensions
• Results: Ability to achieve target outcomes that drive business growth

Performance is evaluated using four grades:

• Great: Goes above and beyond expectations
• Good: Delivers what's expected and shows potential for “Great”
• OK: Meets the bare minimum requirements
• Not OK: Underperforms consistently

As the manager, Vuk was required to provide a brief comment for each mark, explaining his reasoning and, when necessary, offering constructive feedback. Here’s an example:

The reason why I gave you [MARK] in [CRITERIA] is because in [SITUATION] you opted to handle it [HOW]. Imagine if you did [THIS] instead because [WHY].

After the evaluation, the employee receives an overall rating. To achieve a "GREAT" overall, one must score "GREAT" in TEAMWORK, RESULTS, and one other category. A "NOT OK" in any area results in an overall "NOT OK" rating. Otherwise, the overall rating is an average of the four categories, rounded up.

I believe he is a big advocate that 2x GREAT performances in a row should be instantly rewarded, instead of waiting until the end of the year. Meaning, the employee that receives them would get promotion and salary increase earlier than expected. On the flip side, 2x consecutive NOT OK performances were valid grounds for termination, and this was communicated transparently.

Before sharing his evaluations, Vuk would start the meeting by asking the following questions:

1. How would you rate your quarter?
2. What are your biggest wins this quarter?
3. What are your biggest losses this quarter?
4. What are some of the repetitive and time-consuming tasks on your plate?
5. Do you think there’s something in the marketing team that’s a complete waste of time?
6. What are we missing as a team?
7. If you were the Head of Marketing, what would you do from this day onward?
8. In your opinion, what are the key marketing outcomes to accomplish next quarter?
9. What can I do better as your manager? How can I support you more? Did I drop the ball somewhere down the road?

He’s very curious to see how they would evaluate themselves prior to sharing his evaluations. While talking to him, he mentioned this process is always a two-way street and there’s something to be learned.

To simplify everyone's life, create a quick self-assessment survey for your team member in Kadar. Have them complete it before the call. When the review call begins, you'll both be prepared and focused on addressing the most important points.

Plus, you can also customize invites and schedule everything in advance, to avoid tedious manual work and mental notes. Everything runs smoothly and everyone receives an invie on time.

Finally, you want to have all these things documented in one centralized hub. That way, you can always access templates and evaluations from the past to remind yourself of all the feedback, action plans, and promises made.

✅ Take action: Create surveys, set auto-reminders, and run a smooth operation. Making everyone's life simpler in the process. Start for free, no card required.

All that's left to do is to schedule the evaluation call in Kadar, add the right people, and it's done.

💡 More ideas: A smart tactic is to combine self-assessment with peer reviews. This approach provides a more balanced perspective, as individuals may underestimate their skills (like assertiveness) in self-assessments, while their peers often recognize these qualities and rate them higher. Best part? Kadar will provide you with comparisons between self and peer evaluations, delivering actionable insights in your reports.

Annual Career Call

When I asked Vuk about what he believes is the best strategy retain people and keep them happy, he shared two interesting insights.

First off, I totally get why he thinks it's super important to match how the company grows with how each person grows. It's like making sure everyone's moving forward together. This way, employees can level up their skills and responsibilities as the company expands.

The second insight was pretty interesting too. Sometimes, professional relationships run their course over time. And it's not always a bad thing. People have different dreams - maybe they want to try out different companies, industries, roles, or challenges. Plus, their dreams and ambitions change over time as nothing is ever static.

It's not smart to try and keep these folks around, even if the person is an A-player.

"Besides having an A-player by your side, you want an A-player who's pumped to be part of the journey and who radiates that to others."

Now, to better understand one's aspirations and career goals, Vuk schedules one meeting a year that he calls a Career Call.

He does this with every member of his team. This is a dedicated time to talk about a person's personal growth & career development.

Together, they collaborate on the Action Plan and agree on the next steps to take to get there. In other words, Vuk aims to understand how he can support them.

"You might discover that a great operator doesn't want to be a manager, so their Action Plan will differ from the one who has such aspirations. It's the manager's job to listen and match personal aspirations with company goals.”

The same principle applies to skills.

Let's say someone wants to level up their content creation game. We'd put together a growth plan that plays to their strengths and helps them work on their weak spots. The idea is to make their strong suits even stronger while giving their not-so-great areas a boost.

Turn their dreams into realistically achievable goals. Spice up their Learning Hub in Kadar with courses and resources tailored for this quest.

Here are some of the questions Vuk typically asks during Career Calls:

1. How happy are you with your career so far at [COMPANY]?
2. What do you want your career pinnacle to be?
3. What skills do you think you need to reach that pinnacle?
4. How can I help you more?
5. What obstacles that are slowing you down do you think we need to remove outta your way?
6. What resources would you like to have to further develop your career?
7. How’s your work-life imbalance?
8. How are things in your personal life?

Wrapping up

Remember, the key to optimizing your 1-on-1 sessions lies in viewing them as an ongoing process rather than isolated events.

By consistently applying these strategies, incorporating feedback, and using these meetings as a tool for engagement and performance enhancement, you can unlock the full potential of your team and drive your organization towards greater success.

Structure your 1:1s and upskill your employees with Kadar - start for free, no card required