4 Simple Steps to Get Started With Skip-level Meetings
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As a higher level manager, you don’t often have the opportunity to connect with the people managed by those who you manage. That’s where the skip-level meeting comes in, a unique process in which you “skip a level” and schedule one-on-one meetings with the direct reports of your direct reports. This technique offers a wide range of benefits that you may miss out on if you overlook the potential of speaking with those on the ground level of the organization.
Skip-level meetings allow you to:
Network with employees at all levels
Gain a fresh perspective
Collect crucial feedback
Align strategy and goals with team members
Learn about strengths/weaknesses of your managers
Sounds great! But once you have decided to try skip-level meetings, how do you actually go about implementing them?
Read on to find out the steps you can take to make skip-level meetings an integral part of your management strategy.
Step 1: Bring it up with your managers
The most important thing to do in preparation of adding skip-level one-on-ones to your routine is to be very transparent with everyone involved. This entails first informing your mid-level managers and team leaders about your interest in having skip-level meetings.
Three important things to remember here:
Explain the benefits associated with skip-level meetings.
Be very clear about your reasons for initiating these meetings.
Reassure your managers that your goal is to discover ways to improve the company overall, not to circumvent or undermine their authority.
Failing to properly discuss this move with team leads can result in confusion and suspicion about the intent behind your actions. Once you have informed your reports about skip level meetings, you may confidently move forward into the planning stage of these meetings.
Step 2: Plan out the details
Now you must get organized and set standards for how you will carry out skip-level meetings. Decide on a reasonable scope and gather information about the total number of people you will meet with.
Personally send an email to each of your skip-level reports explaining the idea of the skip-level one-on-one meetings. Giving your employees a heads-up will ensure that they aren’t caught off guard when they are asked to meet with their boss’s boss. Without context, this might be an intimidating request that leads employees to believe there is a serious issue at hand. This may be the first time you are officially sitting down and having a conversation with some of them, so keep the tone of your introductory email friendly and inviting.
Lastly, ask your reports to come up with an agenda for the one-on-one you schedule with them. Preferably, create this agenda using a collaborative tool so that you can also add any talking points you would like to go over.
Step 3: Ask relevant questions and listen to feedback
A skip-level one-on-one will be similar to normal one-on-one meetings that you hold with your immediate reports. The agenda should be more geared toward topics that the employee would like to discuss as you focus on gaining useful insights from their comments.
You may find that you need to guide the conversation at times and ask open-ended questions to encourage dialogue. Here are some examples of questions you might pose:
What made you want to work at this company?
Why did you decide to get into [their field] as a career?
How do you feel about the current direction or strategy of our company?
What is one thing you would change about how we operate?
What are the highs and lows of working in this department?
Are you satisfied with the leadership style here?
What resources are you in need of?
What are the best parts of working with your manager? The hardest parts?
Does your manager offer the right support systems for you to excel?
Is your manager giving you clear direction?
If you could request anything to make your job easier, what would it be?
Can you identify any major blocks or bottlenecks that frustrate you?
When do you feel appreciated for your accomplishments?
How is the team dynamic in your department?
Do you have any concerns you think I should know about?
What career goals are you pursuing?
Step 4: Establish a schedule
Once you try out skip-level meetings and determine if they work well for your organization, you may want to make them a recurring item on your schedule. Give some thought to how often you can realistically accomplish this task, as it can be quite time-consuming depending on the size of your team.
Generally, skip-level one-on-ones should be booked no more than once per quarter. Larger companies may only be able to accommodate every 6 months or once a year. When the cadence is set, block out the times on your calendar and be sure to set a reminder before the next skip-level meeting. If scheduled clearly and at regular intervals, participants should grow accustomed to skip-level meetings after the first few times.
Just 4 simple steps and you can be on your way to utilizing skip-level meetings to learn and improve upon leadership, strategy, team dynamics and more! Give it a chance and discover how discussion and feedback from all levels of employees can benefit you and your organization.
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