Grove's One-on-One Meeting
The principal way a supervisor-subordinate relationship is maintained and the highest-leverage meeting format
The one-on-one meeting between supervisor and subordinate is the most leveraged meeting format in management. Its purpose is mutual teaching and exchange of information. The subordinate teaches the supervisor about detailed conditions on the ground; the supervisor teaches skills, approaches, and values. The meeting should be the subordinate's meeting, with his agenda and outline. Frequency depends on the subordinate's task-relevant maturity and the pace of change in his area. One-on-ones create the common information base required for effective delegation.
- The one-on-one is the subordinate's meeting, with his agenda and tone
- Frequency depends on task-relevant maturity and pace of change, not on seniority
- Should last at least one hour to allow thorny issues to surface
- Hold in or near the subordinate's work area when possible
- The subordinate should prepare an outline forcing advance thinking
- Both parties should take notes—writing implies commitment
- Use a hold file to batch non-urgent issues between meetings
- The supervisor's role is to facilitate, learn, and coach
- Set Frequency Based on TRM and PaceMeet weekly with subordinates who are new to a task or working in fast-moving areas. Meet every few weeks with experienced veterans in stable environments. Schedule on a rolling basis to avoid cancellations.Pro tipRolling scheduling means you set the next one-on-one as the current one ends, taking upcoming commitments into account.
- Have the Subordinate Prepare the AgendaThe subordinate creates an outline covering performance indicators, important developments since last meeting, current problems, people issues, future plans, and—most importantly—potential problems and things that nag at him.Pro tipApply Grove's Principle of Didactic Management: when you think the subordinate has said all he wants about a topic, ask one more question.WarningWatch for 'zingers'—heart-to-heart issues dropped near the end of the meeting that deserve more time than remains.
- Meet in the Subordinate's SpaceGoing to the subordinate's office lets you observe his organization, work habits, and whether he is interrupted frequently. It also signals respect for his territory.
- Both Take NotesNote-taking keeps minds from drifting, forces logical categorization of information, and symbolizes commitment. When the subordinate writes down an action item immediately after the supervisor suggests it, it functions like a handshake.
- Encourage Heart-to-Heart IssuesThe one-on-one is the ideal forum for subtle, deep work-related concerns: job satisfaction, frustrations, career direction, doubts about the future. These take time to surface and cannot be raised in group settings.
During a one-on-one, Grove's subordinate responsible for Intel's sales organization reviewed trend indicators of incoming orders and proved that business had stopped growing, beyond normal seasonal patterns.
When Intel was young, Grove realized he knew very little about the company's memory devices or manufacturing techniques despite supervising both areas. Two subordinates gave him private lessons by appointment, complete with preparation and note-taking. As Intel grew, this spirit of mutual teaching endured and became institutionalized as the one-on-one meeting format.