Mastering Effective One-on-One Meetings with Drew McLellan

Hey everybody, Drew McClellan here from agency Management Institute with another episode of Build a Better Agency. Super excited to spend some time with you today.

This is one of my solo casts, so as you know, if you’re a regular listener, this is every fifth episode. It’s just you and me hanging out talking about something that odds are I’ve been talking to a lot of agency owners about. Or it might be something that maybe I’m scratching my head on and I want to sort of put it in front of you to see what you think. Or it may just be something that I feel like needs to be on your radar screen and I want to make sure I put it there.

So before we talk about what we’re going to talk about today, just a couple brief reminders. Number one, if you have not bought your ticket to the Build a Better Agency Summit yet, which is May 20th and 21st in Denver, please please head to the website and grab your ticket. Just gets more expensive like conference tickets do. As we get closer to the event, we are we have about 150 tickets left and then we’re going to be sold out. So please don’t wait. Please grab your ticket, grab one for you, your leadership team.

All the content is fresh. Every year we have amazing speakers. We’re going to be talking about AI, we’re going to be talking about how to generate curiosity in your employees. We’re going to be talking about sales. We’re going to be talking about M and A activity in agencies. We’re going to be talking about the agency Edge research. This year we went out into the field and we talked to companies that hire agencies about how they’re using AI, how they feel about us using AI, how they feel about pricing around AI. So all kinds of things around that. We’re going to unveil that research to you and then we’ve got other things to talk about. We are going to talk about how to use your CEO to the best of your ability to get things off your plate and to grow your agency faster and more profitably. We’re going to talk about some financial reports that are critical to you knowing the right things to do and when. We’ve got all kinds of subject matter experts waiting to spend two and a half days with you. Member day is on the 19th if you’re a member. You know, we’ve got a special thing just for you with Mercer Island Group. Oh, we’re all going to have dinner together. So it’s going to be a great two and a half days. We would love to have you with us. We always, always, always hear that it is a conference that should not be missed and so I don’t want you to miss it. So join us.

So that’s one thing number two, want to remind all of you and I will do this again at the end of the show. But you know, it’s, there’s something very gratifying about having someone who believes in the work you do and supports that work. And White Label IQ has been the presenting sponsor of this pod for years. They also happen to be the presenting sponsor of the Build a Better Agency Summit. They believe in the AMI community, they believe in the education we do. And I am super grateful that they support us so that we can keep bringing you this content. So a huge shout out and thank you to our friends at White Label. As you know, they do white Label design, dev and ppc. So if you’re looking for a team to augment your team or maybe you don’t have dev folks in house and you want to, you want to offer PPC and app building and website development to your clients, they are a great resource. So head over to white labeliq.com ami to learn more about them.

And I got to tell you, we are, we are coming up, we’re about 10 episodes away from episode 500. So it’s hard for me to believe that we have been doing this for so long, so many years, that we are coming up on our fifth hundredth episode. And I so grateful that I get to do this. I love having these conversations with you whether I have a guest on or not. I love this time that we get to spend together and I am super grateful that you carve out the time to hang out with me every week. So thank you for doing that. I, I cannot tell you how much it means to me that when I see you in person, we talk about episodes. You let me know through email and text and in the Facebook group, all kinds of places that you find the content valuable and that kind of makes my day. So thank you so much for listening and I promise we’re going to keep going after episode 500. So I hope you’ll stick with us and keep coming back.

All right, so let’s talk about today’s topic. So as I just said to you, we’re almost on episode 500. And so at the very beginning, one of the very first episodes I did, I’m pretty sure it’s episode 15. I talked about the importance of one to one meetings or one on one meetings. And I will tell you that I am doubling down on that topic. They are so critical. And every time an agency owner decides to implement these, I will get a note in some fashion or form saying, drew, I wish I had done this a decade ago. This is like my early warning radar system of knowing what’s going on in the agency. I’m telling you, these meetings are gold. So many of you are scratching your head a little bit about how to create culture, how to inspire involvement, how to get your team passionate about the work, how to connect with your employees, regardless of the generation they come from or how long they’ve been with the agency. And I am telling you, I’m not a one size fits all kind of guy, but I’m telling you, these one on one meetings do all of that and more.

So what I want to do, we’ve updated the form, we’ve changed the format a little bit over the years. So I want to walk you through in this episode why these meetings matter, how to do them properly, and then what’s on the form. And then of course in the show notes, we’re going to give you access to the form so you can download it. And it’s a PDF that your people can fill out so you don’t have to do anything other than begin to implement these meetings. Here’s the critical thing. These meetings need to be held every other week. Not once a month, not once a quarter. You’re going to hold them every other week and you’re going to, you’re going to think of them in sort of quarter long sprints.

So the very first one on one meeting is the first meeting of the quarter, and that’s a sprint. One of the critical things about these one on one meetings is this is your employees meeting. And what I mean by that is, after you talk to them about the fact that you want to hold these meetings and that they should happen every other week, you’re going to ask them to schedule the meetings with you. So they’re going to put them on your schedule. They’re 30 minutes long. And if either of you have to move the meeting, they’re responsible for moving the meeting and they are also responsible for completing the form in advance.

So you’re going to give them the form. The form is the same. No matter how senior your person is, what their role is, it doesn’t matter because this is not about their day to day work. This is not meant to be a project check in. This is their meeting to talk to you about things that are important to them and should be important to you. They drive this meeting. They should talk 80% of the time in this 30 minute meeting.

One of the great things about this meeting is when they know and they can count on the fact that they have your full attention every other week for a meeting that is just about them, it’s going to cut down the random hey, I have a quick question or popping in the office or you’re pinging you on slack or whatever it is, because they’re going to start gathering up the things they want to talk to you about because they’re going to feel like they know they’re going to be heard in this meeting. So, hey, Drew, I want to start having these one on one meetings with you. We’re going to have them every other week and we’re going to have them for 30 minutes. I need you to schedule those meetings with me on our mutual calendar and I need you to come prepared. Here’s the form.

And the first time you have this conversation, you’re going to want to walk them through the form. So I’m going to show you how to walk them through the form. Okay? So, all right, Drew, here’s how we’re going to do this very first thing we’re going to do is obviously we’re going to date the form and then we’re going to, at the start of the meeting, we’re going to check in with each other. So we are going to share very briefly a personal and professional best since we last met.

Why are you doing this with them? Because this is an opportunity for you to connect with your employee. One of the things we know and we have heard over and over for years, but louder and louder since COVID is our employees want us to know who they are. Not just as an employee, not just as an art director or a copywriter or a dev, but as a human being. They want us to know what’s going on in their life. They want us to care about what’s going on going on in their life. So this check in, this personal and professional best since we last met, is an opportunity for you, the person to connect with Them, the person.

And by the way, this should be done by their direct supervisor. So if you’re not their direct supervisor, then you need to have your leadership level folks listen to this podcast because they’re going to be the ones that are doing this and you’re going to be holding these meetings with them. So if you’re a smaller agency, four or five people, you’re probably doing this with everybody. And so you’re going to want to, you’re going to want to sort of, you know, scatter the meeting so that they’re not all in the same week. You’re going to want to do some in week one and three and some in weeks two and four of every month. Or if you’re a larger agency, you’re going to want to set the tone by holding these meetings with your leaders, teaching them how to hold these meeting with their direct reports, and however many layers down, that’s how this is going to go.

So anyway, I’m back with that employee and I’m saying, look, we’re going to first check in. We’re going share a personal and professional best since we last met. So it might be something that happened with your family, it might be a big win with a client. Whatever it may be, we’re going to share that together. And then every quarter we are going to set two growth goals and we’re going to do that together. So you should come to the meeting with some ideas, I’m going to come to the meeting with some ideas and we’re going to mutually agree on growth goals. And the first one is, what? What are you going to learn or get better at or develop to serve your professional growth. So if you’re a copywriter, it might be that you’re going to take a class on SEO writing, or it might be you’re going to get certified in something, or if you’re an account person, it might be that you are going to take a class on how to present better or have more confidence in the way you present. You might join Toastmasters, whatever it may be.

And then the second growth goal is what are you going to do to serve the agency’s growth? So again, it might be that you are going to go to a conference to learn more about the industry we serve. You might cross train someone in another department to understand your job better. So the first one is what’s going to make you a better professional, and the second one is what’s going to benefit the agency as a whole. Now, you’re gonna have to guide these goals in the beginning, your employees will get better at it as they set them.

But the whole point is, they should be big enough goals that it takes them more than a day or a week to accomplish this goal. This is their quarterly growth goal, these two goals. And every time you meet with them, so every other week, they’re gonna check in with you on the success where they’re at in this growth goal. So first question is, what is your priority issue or growth goal for this quarter? First one, to serve your professional growth. Second one, to serve the agency’s growth. And then the very next question is, hey, report to me, your boss, on the progress on this issue or goal. So whatever they’ve set for you is their growth goals for the quarter. In every meeting, they’re going to tell you how they’re doing on achieving that growth goal for the quarter.

Lots of agencies, if they’ve got a bonus program that is tied to agency performance, one of the criteria for someone qualifying for the bonus or a larger percentage of the bonus is how many of their quarterly growth goals did they knock out of the park? Did they get all four of them done? Did they get three done? Did they blow them all off? One of the reasons why this is so important is this is going to give you great insight as to is this employee think of this as their career. Are they committed to getting better? Are they committed to helping the agency get better, or is it a job? And the reason you want to know that as a supervisor or as an agency owner, is because it tells you how much they’re willing to invest in their professional development, how much they’re willing to invest in making the agency better, which should have some influence on how much you’re willing to invest in and for them.

We are firm believers that everyone should be treated fairly, but that does not mean that everyone is treated equally. What I mean by that is you have some employees that are rock stars that go above and beyond all the time on behalf of teammates, on behalf of their clients, on behalf of the agency. And they rightfully have earned more from you. More training dollars, more of your personal investment and time. More opportunities to take on new, new challenges, as opposed to somebody that’s just treating it like a job. Like, “I clock in, I clock out, I do the bare basics of what’s expected of me, and that’s it. And after that, I’m out.” So this is a great litmus test for you to see how these people show up. And so that’s the front half of the sheet. So you’re going to go through that probably pretty quickly. That’s probably, you know, once you’ve set the goal after the first meeting, this is probably a 10 minutes maybe of the, of the 30 minute conversation.

So I’m going to tell you in a minute we’re going to take a quick break and then I’m going to tell you in a minute what’s on the back half of the sheet and how you’re going to spend the last 20 minutes of your 30 minutes with that employee. So I’ll be right back.

Hey everybody, thanks for listening today. Before I get back to the interview, I just want to remind you that we are always offering some really amazing workshops. And you can see the whole schedule at agencymanagementinstitute.com on the navigation head to how we help. Scroll down and you’ll see workshops and you can see the whole list there with descriptions of each workshop. They are all in Denver and we’ve got them throughout the year for agency owners, account Execs, agency leaders, CFOs. We have a little something for everybody. No matter what it is that you’re struggling with, people, new business, money, all of those things we’ve got covered. So check them out and come join us. All right, let’s get back to the show.

All right, we’re back and as we talk about what’s left on the sheet and again, remember, your employee is going to have this filled out, come to you completed. If they show up and they don’t have the form or it’s not filled out, cancel the meeting. If they can’t come prepared, then don’t allow them to have the time. Have them reschedule it. This is really an important discipline that, look, this is an important, I, I, the supervisor really want this to be useful, valuable time for you.

And so I need you to do your part and be prepared. This is your meeting. This is your opportunity to get what you need to be stellar at your job. And that takes some preparation. And so I want you to come prepared. All right, so on the back half of the sheet, it starts with the support I need to do my job. This is the opportunity for them to say, I need some support. I need more of your time. I need some help with some strategy I’m working on. I might need to take a class. I need some support. I’m struggling to get something out of the creative department. I am frustrated that I can’t get a creative brief from account service, but I’m expected to hit deadlines. But I have a Blank sheet of paper that I’m supposed to know what I’m supposed to write. Whatever it is, this is their opportunity to tell you what they need to do their job better. Might be software, it might be equipment, it might be help with an employee. This is your opportunity to listen and help them get the support that they need.

It’s hard to ask for help. It’s hard to admit to your boss that maybe you need something to be as good as you possibly can be. So be really open to hearing what it is they need from you or the team or the agency or a client, Whatever it may be, be really to hearing what they need to do their best work. And then to the extent that you can make that happen, make it happen.

The next item on the one on one sheet is priority issues to discuss or questions that need answers or input. This is their chance to pick your brain. So it might be something very rudimentary. It might be, I know you had a meeting with Client XYZ and I need a download on that meeting. It might be A, I am having a struggle getting client B to review the work and get it back to us on time. I need some strategies on how to do that. It might be, you know what, I seem to be in conflict with a team member and I need some help figuring out how to heal that conflict. Could be any of those things.

What I love about this question is that it asks is what’s going on? Like are there priority issues or are there things that I need from you that I know I have this time to get from you right now. So again, this cuts off a lot of pings throughout the week because they know they’re going to have this time to ask you these questions.

And the next question on the sheet is my favorite heads up. Client or internal issues. This is gold. This is your early warning signal. This is the. I’m getting a weird spidey sense from Client XYZ that they’re not happy. You know what? All of a sudden so and so won’t return my calls. I’m frustrated by the conflict between Bob and Mary on the team and I am getting caught up in the middle of that. I need some help navigating that. This is their chance to sort of show you that their instincts are alert and paying attention and that something just doesn’t feel right. Agency owners love this question and they love the insight they get much earlier than they did before they started the one on one meetings.

The second to last question is “Anything else?” So is there anything else they want to talk about. And whatever that is, you get, you get through that. And then the last note on the sheet is TO DOS from this meeting. So if there are any to do’s from the meeting, this would be where you would both record them. And that way you can pull this sheet out and again, it’s a PDF so you might keep a digital copy, you might keep a physical copy, but you’re going to pull this sheet out for your next one on one to make sure that the TO DOS got done.

Whether they’re for you, someone else on the team, or your employee, I want you to notice what’s not in this one on one meeting. You are not asking them for project updates. You’re not asking them about what’s on their plate. You’re not asking them about the day to day part of their job. This is at a higher level. This is at a collaborative level. This is a ‘we are colleagues and I am here to support and help you’ level. This changes the relationship we have with our employees and it lets them know that there is a safe place and time for them to talk to us about things that are not, boy, we’re two days late on this project or we’ve gone over budget or whatever it may be.

Now they may bring that up under a priority issue to discuss or a question to ask. Absolutely. But this is not a traffic meeting. This isn’t about how much is on their plate and it’s really important. They’re going to default to that certain surface level kind of conversation and you need to remind them that that is not the purpose of this meeting. That if they have a problem or an issue around their work. Absolutely. Or they want to celebrate something that happened, maybe their big professional win since the last time you met is something they want to celebrate and they want to tell you about. Great.

But this is not in lieu of a traffic meeting and you shouldn’t reduce it to that. Or your, whoever your supervisor is that’s holding this meeting with their team member should not reduce it to that. That it’s too important. This is sort of sacred time. This is a time for you to really connect. This is a time for you to be really supportive, to coach, to mentor, to celebrate, to collaborate. This is a really important 30 minute meeting. And I’m telling you, if you honor this meeting with the intention of being really present and really sort of digging a little deeper, this is not a surface conversation meeting. This is a deeper meeting. This is meaty stuff and this is meaningful stuff. And if you set the tone for that. Even if your employee is originally a little reticent about maybe the red flags or the heads up or, you know, the support I need to do my job, if for the first three meetings, they’re like, I don’t need anything from you, probe a little, push a little, ask questions, teach them that it’s okay to answer these questions honestly and to share with you what’s really going on in their head and their heart in terms of the work.

I have never, ever, ever had an agency owner or leader implement these meetings and then stop them because they were a waste of time or they were not useful or fill in the blank. Never. Not once. So I’m telling you, this little bit of an investment of time is critical to grooming and growing employees, to keeping them connected to you, to keeping them connected to the agency, to keeping them focused on getting better at their job. The understanding that no matter how many years you’ve been here, you can get better at something. There’s no question about it. Think about all the things that we have to learn right now in our world that we didn’t even have to know about five years ago. In our industry, we have to constantly be getting better. And this is one of the ways we encourage our team to get better. This is one of the ways that we celebrate and support them in getting better.

So I’m telling you, try this meeting, try it for six months. Make that commitment to your team that we’re gonna. We’re gonna try this for six months and see how it goes. And I will be a monkey’s uncle if you come back and tell me, you know what, Drew? They were a complete waste of time.

Now you have to be disciplined. You do have to require that the employee own the meeting. You do have to require that you follow the sheet and you don’t go off track and get into the traffic mode of what’s on your plate. You do have to require that they show up prepared. You do have to require, and this is a requirement of yourself that you let them talk most of the time, ask great questions, lean in, listen. But this isn’t you sort of on the mount giving a sermon. This is you learning. This is you listening. This is you asking great questions and then offering counsel, advice, resource. But this is their meeting. So let them do most of the talking and let them really drive the agenda. Based on this sheet, I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised. And I think you’re going to find that this helps connect you with your employee, keeps them focused on what’s important at the agency, helps them feel like you’re in their corner, that you want them to be successful, helps them keep growing and learning all the things we want.

For our team members, this one meeting does all of that. So it is absolutely worth your time. Give it a try. Let me know how it goes. And again, you’re not going to do it perfectly for a while. So this isn’t a Try it once or twice and then give it up. Commit to it for at least six months and then let me know how it goes. But I think you’re going to be really, really grateful and happy that you put this into play.

Okay. And by the way, this is hardest to do with your leaders. It’s easy to do with the kids, the young employees. They’re hungry for it. But a lot of your people who’ve been with you 10, 20 years, they’re going to think they don’t need this. They’re going to think, you know, I’ve been your creative director for 10 years. There’s nothing more for me to learn. Be watchful, be mindful of that attitude. I do not know a single role in an agency, including ours as owners, where we can be so arrogant to think that there’s not more for us to learn and that we can’t get better.

So, again, this is the kind of thing this meeting surfaces and it gives you great insight into your employees and how committed they are and how passionate they are about the work and the agency and the clients and the team. So time well spent.

All right. All right. That wraps up this episode. I hope this was helpful. Again, you can come to the show notes on the website and download the form. If you are in the Facebook group, head over to agencymanagementinstitute.com and search for one one on one 25 and that’ll get you the most current version of the form. You can go under the Resources tab under the podcast and you can find the form to download. We’ll try and make it as available as we can, but please give this a try. I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.

All right. I am grateful for you. Thanks for listening. I’ll be back next week with another guest. In the meantime, have a great week. And for Many of you, 25 is kicking off in a big, bad way. So let’s continue that trend. Lots of you are landing new business. Seems like the sales cycle is shortening a little bit. So I think 25 is going to be a great year for many, many, many of you. And I’m excited about that. And I think. I think this is one way to make it even better. All right, I’ll see you next week.