Building Strong Relationships Through One-to-Ones
In my 40+ years in construction, I’ve seen how easy it is for communication between managers and their reports to become reactive and focused solely on putting out fires. While tending to daily emergencies is crucial, neglecting proactive communication can severely hamper employee engagement and development over the long run. In these times when finding and keeping quality people is so challenging, you need to use every tool in the kit to keep your teams together.
This is where the classic one-to-one meeting between a leader and their direct reports comes in. By committing to a regular cadence of these check-ins, construction leaders can go beyond just discussing tactics and dive deeper into coaching, developing, and strengthening relationships with their team members.
What are One-to-One Meetings?
A one-to-one meeting is simply a scheduled, private meeting between a manager and each of their direct reports held regularly—usually weekly or monthly. These meetings allow for open dialogue away from the group setting, where employees can receive focused coaching, feedback, and face time with their leader.
While the agenda can be flexible based on current priorities, one-to-ones mustn't be skipped or deprioritized when timelines get crunched. Having that dedicated one-to-one time protects a crucial forum for leaders to:
Build rapport and trust through focused listening.
Discuss goal progress and priorities in depth.
Uncover unseen obstacles or motivational issues.
Provide coaching and development toward career growth.
Preparing for an Effective One-to-One
For the one-to-one to be a productive use of time, both parties need to come prepared. Leaders should review notes from previous check-ins, along with the direct report's current goals and responsibilities. Coming ready with insightful questions about potential challenges or roadblocks can kick off a meaningful dialogue.
Employees should also prepare by reflecting on recent achievements, looming obstacles, or outstanding needs from their leader. Having some key updates and questions ready can ensure the meeting is a two-way conversation.
Leading an Engaging One-to-One
Once the meeting begins, leaders should aim to make it an interactive discussion, not an interrogation. Open with empathy. Ask easy warm-up questions that establish rapport and help create a safe environment where the employee feels able to express themselves openly. The employee should do about 70% of the talking.
Let the employee share their perspective first. Listen attentively and allow them to fully express any concerns. Then, drill down by asking great follow-up questions to better understand their motivations and obstacles.
This is also the time for managers to provide clear feedback - both reinforcing what's going well and constructively surfacing areas needing improvement. Be sure to make the conversation psychologically safe by discussing developmental areas through a coaching lens.
The most impactful one-to-ones go beyond just tactics and address the employee's long-term career goals and growth areas. Be sure to leave time to discuss interests, learning opportunities, and future role aspirations. Ending with clear action items for both parties also ensures accountability until the next check-in.
In the construction world, where projects are always rushing, it may feel counterintuitive to block off recurring times for these meetings. However, committing to regular one-to-one check-ins is one of the most important things a leader can do to build relationships, engage employees, and ultimately earn their team's best work consistently over time.
Spark Notes:
It's evident that when managers and reports communicate reactively, focusing only on immediate issues, they miss out on proactive engagement and development crucial for retaining top talent.
Regular one-to-one meetings between leaders and direct reports are essential for coaching, development, and building strong relationships, even when deadlines are tight.
Effective one-to-one meetings require both leaders and employees to come prepared, ensuring a meaningful, two-way conversation about goals, achievements, challenges, and needs.
Leaders should foster an empathetic, interactive discussion during these meetings, letting employees express themselves, providing clear feedback, and discussing long-term career goals with clear action items for accountability.
