“Kelly’s late again,” Ryan said.
Below is a fictional scenario based on real-life events.
Ryan was tapping their coffee mug in frustration again. “Is Kelly going to join our 1:1 this week? I guess I can step out to the kitchen quickly and refill my coffee,” Ryan told themselves. It was 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday, and again, Kelly was nowhere to be found.
Kelly has either entirely skipped or was late for their 8:30 a.m. 1:1 calls for six straight weeks.
Ryan and Kelly are veterans of ACME Corporation, but they’ve never worked together until a few months ago when a company reorg meant Kelly became Ryan’s manager.
Ryan doesn’t need much handholding, and Kelly knows this, but Kelly’s taken advantage of this fact by being too hands-off.
So what should Ryan do?
We see Ryan and Kelly’s issues too often in manager-employee relationships. One of the most critical aspects of this relationship is clarity about how the two people will work together and how best to communicate.
If I were Ryan, I would proactively discuss these ten things with Kelly during their next conversation and be prepared to share their thoughts proactively.
What are your goals for the upcoming year?
How do you prefer to communicate?
How frequently will we meet 1:1?
What should be covered in our meetings?
How should feedback – in both directions - be delivered?
What happens if one party is late to a meeting for 5+ minutes?
What are examples of things you’d like me to run by you vs. things you want to be aware of/copied on?
What topic(s) should be discussed in real time vs. asynchronously?
How do we ensure we’re clear on priorities?
What is our process for requesting time off?
If these 10 topics are discussed at the beginning of the employee-manager relationship and updated every six months, you will save each other a lot of time, reduce a lot of stress, and build a bond lasting for decades.
And now for your MollyMoh update! Molly is not the biggest fan of her rain jacket. 🤣 Happy Fall, everyone!
