314: Practical Tips for Better One-on-One Meetings with Steven Rogelberg

The Modern Manager

Have you ever felt that your one-on-one meetings aren’t as effective as they should be?

Before you write them off your calendar, consider this: a Gallup study reveals that employees are three times more engaged when they experience regular one-on-ones.

But let’s face it—one-on-ones take up a significant portion of your time. They aren’t as easy as asking your team members, “How are you?”. Fortunately, this week’s guest is here to help make your one-on-ones more valuable to you and your people.

Meet Dr. Steven Rogelberg. Steven is an organizational psychologist and holds the distinguished title of Chancellor’s Professor at UNC Charlotte. His new book Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1:1 Meetings was designated as a top 12 book by SHRM. He and his work have been featured on CBS Sunday, CNN, MSN, HBR, WSJ, and BBC World, to name a few. Adam Grant has called Steven the world’s leading expert on meetings.

In this episode, Steven and I explore the significance of one-on-one meetings between managers and their direct reports.

He shares the benefits of regular one-on-ones and offers practical, actionable tips to make these meetings more effective.

Plus, in the extended episode available to members of Podcast+, he discusses how these meetings can become an integral part of organizational culture and explains the powerful concept of skip-level one-on-ones.

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Conversation Topics

• (00:00) Intro
• (02:26) What is a one-on-one meeting?
• (05:00) The manager’s role in facilitating these meetings
• (07:02) Astounding benefits of conducting one-on-ones
• (11:02) Effective questions to ask in one-on-one meetings
• (20:59) Common mistakes managers make during one-on-ones
• (23:19) How often and how long should you conduct these meetings
• (25:44) The importance of connecting through meaningful conversations at work
• (28:54) Keep up with Steven
• (29:31) [Extended Episode Only] How one-on-ones can be a part of your organizational culture
• (34:44) [Extended Episode Only] What you need to know about skip-level one-on-one meetings

Additional Resources:

- Get the extended episode by Joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month

- Read the full transcript here

- Follow me on Instagram here

- Visit my website for more here

- Build your team’s skills here

- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here

Keep up with Steven

- Follow Steven on LinkedIn here

- Grab a copy of Steven’s book here

FREE Guide Questions to Ask During One-on-One Meetings

In lieu of this week’s episode, Mamie is providing members of Podcast Plus with a list of more than 30 questions to ask during your one-on-one meetings.

To get this bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive, and great work gets done.

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