Before Your Next One-on-One

In the daily grind of leadership, we must find every opportunity to focus on the one.

Team meetings are necessary and serve a purpose. Committee meetings are useful for passing monkeys. Project teams get things done.

The essence of leadership occurs in one-on-one meetings.

Influence occurs through relationships.

Trust is built face to face. Eye contact transfers meaning hidden by the chill of texts or email.

High-quality one-on-one meetings only occur with proper planning and clarity of purpose. Otherwise, the meeting produces little more than a conversation about a wide range of topics.

Frequent one-on-one meetings every week, are more productive than one long meeting each week. Four 15-minute meetings are better than a single one-hour meeting.

But the hidden key to frequent, brief meetings, is an extreme focus. Optimum output occurs when each party shares one important discussion point in the meeting.

One focus. One point. One takeaway on each side of the table. Done.

The meeting may only serve to expose the need for a long, deep meeting to thoroughly review a project or report. Daily one on one meetings provide opportunities to connect on what matters most today.

Leaders convey love through attention—every day.

Before your next meeting, plan your one thing.