The one-on-one meeting is a prime opportunity to offer this kind of input. A one-on-one is a focused get-together between two colleagues in the company, usually lasting around 30 or 45 minutes. When done right, these meetings are a great way to build trust and nurture career progress. From my experience, bosses usually have weekly or fortnightly one-on-ones with each member of their team. If you’re not having these regular one-on-ones with your boss, you’re missing out. Just ask for one!
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The value of a one-on-one largely depends on how you prepare before the meeting. Here are some basic ground rules I established with my team and my own boss to make them as beneficial as possible:
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It left me feeling puzzled and unsupported.
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—Rahul
But what if your boss isn’t open to receiving your feedback or concerns? In most cases, it’s not worth trying to “fix” your boss or your work environment. There’s a clear power dynamic between you and your boss, and the effort put into your boss is better dedicated to seeking out a new team or company altogether.
This article was borrowed from the careers newsletter of IEEE Spectrum. Sign up now to receive exclusive tips, expert advice, and practical strategies, co-created with tech career development firm Taro and sent to your inbox for free!
While at Meta, I used our one-on-ones to discuss my concerns about the changing priorities between new features and user-reported bugs. The issue wasn’t solved overnight, but at least my boss was aware of it. I felt listened to, and we kept an eye on the situation as it got better.
The one-on-one plays a vital role in our career progression as engineers. Give these approaches a try in your next one-on-one and tell me how it turns out.
- I had this boss back when I worked at Meta who couldn’t make up their mind. We’d sit down for our one-on-one chats to agree on what to focus on
- either new features or fixing bugs reported by users.
But then, out of the blue, plans would shift. Suddenly, certain bugs would be top priority, especially if the word came from higher-ups like directors or VPs. I picked up on a pattern where my manager would have a change of heart after chatting with a headstrong project manager or an engineering leader further up the chain.
When faced with this, how can you tell your boss to get their act together? Is it even your job to give feedback to your boss?
