I actively encourage cultures where snippets of feedback are given regularly, where management and leadership are accessible and where people are encouraged to challenge and voice their opinions.    But do not be fooled into thinking by having this accessible culture that 121s meetings can be replaced with a quick catch up or missed altogether.

But what is a 121 and what is the point of it?

Good question.  Here is my:

DEFINITIVE GUIDE ON EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT A 121 MEETING.

What is a 121?

Quite simply it is a regular meeting between a manager and their direct report to discuss a number of things.  You don’t need to call it a 121, you can call it what you like (within reason) but for the purposes of this guide I’m referring to it as a 121.

How often should you have a 121?

You won’t like this answer but…weekly.  Once done regularly you will find that staff stop asking questions all of the time and instead hold things for their 121s.  It actually makes your life easier.

How long should my 121 last?

I would always schedule them for one hour.  As you’ll see, there is quite a lot to cover.

Do I need to prepare for the 121?

Yes.  You need a rough agenda and you need to ensure you have prepared points under each one.  They can be in your head but you should have put thought into it.  The more 121s you hold, the easier the preparation will become as you’ll have follow up points.

What are you meant to talk about at a 121?

I don’t think there should a prescribed format that can’t be varied from, but I do think both parties need to know what to expect.  Exactly what your agenda says is up to you but a structure I recommend to my clients is

1.      Check in

See how they are, what they did on the weekend, how the holidays plans are going and how their elderly mother is.  This is an opportunity for you to understand them more and what pressure they may be facing outside of work and for them to open up to you.

2.      Wins

Feedback time.  What have they done brilliantly at since you last met?  What has the team done well.  And why did it go well?  You may have already given them a pat on the back but do it again and this time see if you can work out why the client gave such good feedback – was it the amount of preparation they did or how well they built a rapport with the client?

3.      Lessons

More feedback.  What didn’t go so well?  And why did it go wrong?  A brilliant opportunity to pinpoint how mistakes might have happened and what can be done to change that next time.

4.      Objectives 

I’m a big advocate of the recent shift to continuous performance review.  Setting and reviewing objectives once a year tends to make the process an administrative burden and leads to outdated objectives by year end.  Objectives should be reviewed and discussed at each 121, and updated as the year goes on.

5.      Communications

The chances are you communicate well but even the best communicators forget to update people on things.  By having this in your agenda, it allows you to have a check point on what has happened team and company wise and pass that down.  It also gives a reminder to your staff to communicate anything they have come across and reminds you to LISTEN.

Can I miss the 121 if we’ve had lots of informal catch ups?

No, informal catch ups are not the same as a structured 121s.  It might mean some of the items are shorter but you shouldn’t miss.

Can I move/cancel the 121 due to client commitments?

No.  There may be an occasion where the client can only meet on that particular day at that particular time and it is of vital importance.  But it has to be of vital importance. That is, more important than your employee.  Don’t undervalue your staff.

What are the benefits of a 121?

• They strengthen relationships.  They show an individual you truly care and in turn that individual becomes more engaged, more motivated and more productive.

• They allow you the time to develop your employee.   Employees love to feel like they are being invested in, it engages them, makes them more motivated and then…more productive.

• They allow you to get to know them properly.  By understanding them more, it enables you to manage them better and understand where their natural strengths and weaknesses lie. This ensures you can make sure the work they do is as best aligned to them as possible which…engages, motivates and increases productivity!

• Have I mentioned engaged, motivation and productivity?

Should I take notes of the 121?

Yes.  You don’t need to minute everything but you need to ensure you are capturing the main points you’ve discussed especially with regards to objectives and feedback.  It allows you to use that information at the next meeting to build upon what you’ve talked about, increasing the value.  An easy way to do this is in a follow up in an email to them. 

Can I provide follow up actions?

Absolutely.  I’d expect your employee to walk away with additions to their to do list, amends to make to their objectives and hopefully a few things ticked off too. 

So, there it is.  Your definitive guide to 121s which in turn will lead you to becoming a better manager and your team becoming the best they can be.