Once again, it’s that time of year. You receive an email from your boss’s boss, asking for a conversation about your team, your professional development, or how your first year at your new company has gone. After that, you will have to attend a skip-level meeting. So what is a skip-level meeting?
Skip-level meetings are private conversations held by managers with employees they do not directly supervise. These are usually meetings with the direct report(s) of the employees you manage in small- or mid-sized organizations.
This article introduces the importance of skip-level meetings and how to prepare them. Keep reading.
Table of Contents
What Is A Skip-level Meeting?
A conversation between a manager and an employee without the direct supervisor present is referred to as a “skip level meeting.” Typically, the goal is for a senior manager to learn more about what is going on at the company from the perspective of an employee. An employee may have the chance to voice critical concerns and learn insightful information during the meeting.
A leadership technique for boosting output and communication throughout an organization is the skip-level meeting format. For you and your company as a whole, it can be advantageous for you as an employee to establish a relationship with the person in charge of your direct supervisor.
Read Next: In-person Meeting
Anatomy Of A Skip-level Meeting
The exact agenda of a skip-level meeting is determined by a huge number of factors, but the fundamental elements are the same whether it is your first or tenth time.
1. Set The Tone.
Meeting the boss of your boss can make you feel like you’ve been summoned to the principal’s office. By outlining the purpose of the meeting, you can allay any tension and dispel any presumptions (if this is your first skip-level meeting with this person, explain why you hold skip-level meetings generally). Be clear about what you’re not looking to get out of it (such as decision-making or problem-solving). Describe how you’ll use the meeting’s information, including with whom you’ll share it if anyone.
2. Connect.
Get curious and strengthen your personal connection because this part isn’t complicated. Ask them questions to learn more about their background and motivations rather than trying to figure out their life story. This is an excellent opportunity to offer any specific compliments you may have.
3. Request Their Opinion And/or Input.
You may spend the majority of your time in this meeting here, according to many of you. Ask them for their opinion on the management style and operation of the organization. Make every effort to put the employee at ease because they might be hesitant to be completely honest. Don’t forget to keep your ears open. If you aren’t specifically asked, resist the urge to defend, explain, or solve a problem. To express opinions that may differ from the majority or to voice concerns can require a lot of courage. Remember to thank them for being honest, even if you don’t agree or understand.
4. Open It Up.
Inquire if they have any additional topics they’d like to cover.
5. Wrap Up.
Reiterate how you intend to use the information after thanking them for their time and outlining your next steps. Encourage them to speak directly with their manager about any issues they brought up if it makes sense to do so. And finally, let them know how much you value what they have done for the team.
Importance Of A Skip-level Meeting
1. Offer New Perspectives
We don’t get the chance to question our manager every day. Attending a skip-level meeting can be a great way to learn about what goes on at all levels of your organization, even though it might at first seem intimidating to talk with your superior in the office. A manager might not be aware of the routines and crucial tasks carried out by your team to keep the trains running on time, whereas an employee might not be aware of what goes on at the executive level. Knowledge gaps in the organizational hierarchy can be filled in by becoming familiar with one another’s roles.
2. Provide Opportunities To Make More Of An Impact At The Company
Consider all the occasions when you had a great idea for your company but lacked the chance to talk to a superior about it. Your opportunity to influence change might be here. It’s not a good idea to interrupt your skip-level meeting with the intention of opposing company policies or procedures, but there’s nothing wrong with politely offering helpful criticism later on, especially if your suggestions will make work for you and your coworkers more enjoyable or productive.
3. Allow You To Provide Insight To Higher Level Management
The manager you are meeting with might not be familiar with how your team works on a daily basis. The senior manager will probably ask you questions about your role, your team, and perhaps even about your struggles at work during your meeting. They might be trying to get a fresh viewpoint on problems at your level of the company by speaking with you. In order to impress your superior during your meeting and help the company advance, you’ll need to present these insights in a collected and memorable way.
How To Prepare For A Skip Level Meeting As An Employee?
Know Who You’re Meeting
Studying for a meeting with a coworker may seem silly, but getting to know them will help you be more prepared for the conversation. For the best preparation, read their company bio, look up their LinkedIn profile, and ask any teammates who have had skip-level meetings with this person about the superior’s temperament, leadership style, and what they discussed with your teammate during their own meeting. As you do your research, make notes and write down any questions you have. Keep in mind that even senior managers are fallible! You’ll be able to direct the conversation and experience less anxiety overall by getting to know their priorities. If there is anything you don’t want to forget but would rather keep from the meeting attendees, write it down using Fellow’s private note features. In this manner, they won’t be able to see your notes, but you’ll be assured when you enquire about them.
Have A List Of Things You Love
This is your chance to share everything you adore about your job and the organization! Consider carefully what aspects of your professional success you can attribute. Perhaps you have a productive team that performs well under pressure, efficient administrative procedures that make your life simpler, or free coffee at work that makes you happy every morning. No matter the size, having a list of what your business does well and mentioning these traits to your senior manager is a great way to start the conversation and demonstrate your appreciation as an employee.
Know Your Goals And Progress
Get ready to talk about your future at the upcoming skip-level meeting. Make a list of your short- and long-term career goals, as well as your personal objectives, key outcomes, and the progress you’ve made so far toward achieving them. Keep in mind that every senior manager at some point held a position similar to yours. Give a brief description of the professional goals you have for your company, the abilities you want to acquire, and the experience you’ll need to gain to advance up the corporate ladder.
Have Suggestions For What Could Improve
Don’t criticize your company or its management, but do make your opinion known on issues that are significant to you. Inform others of any issues that may have slipped their notice and provide solutions based on your personal experiences. Use this chance to talk about the new digital tool you discovered to help automate tasks and keep everyone accountable if you and your team have had trouble staying organized in your remote working environment. Bringing insightful suggestions to your next skip-level meeting is strongly advised because the majority of senior managers want to increase effectiveness, productivity, and workplace satisfaction.
Share Roadblocks You Experience
When you started in your role, it’s possible that you required a workplace accommodation that was unusual for the company. Or perhaps the antiquated internal onboarding process made it unnecessary and difficult to set up your devices at the beginning of your contract. Sharing your own personal obstacles as an employee can help senior managers understand what proactive measures need to be put in place to best prevent or resolve workplace challenges, even though you shouldn’t spend your skip-level meeting whining.
Ask Questions About Work And Life
It’s not necessary for your conversation to be entirely business-related. You can gain valuable insight into the senior manager’s leadership style and personal philosophy by probing them about their work and personal lives. What do they enjoy most about their work? What does a typical day look like? Who motivates them at work? Find out from your boss’ boss. Keep in mind to be authentic! Inhale deeply and pretend that you are speaking to a new team member in a typical office setting.
Reach Out To Team Members For What To Expect
Inquire for advice as you prepare from anyone you know who has attended a meeting of this nature in the past. Find out what was discussed, what questions were raised, and what they would do differently if they had another chance to speak with the person during their skip-level meeting. If your skip level meeting is with the same senior manager, feel free to ask specific questions about their management and meeting styles, though you should refrain from gossiping. You can always ask your manager for advice on how to handle this conversation if you don’t know anyone who has had a meeting of this nature.
Ask For Feedback
It’s possible that the senior manager you meet with during your skip level meeting has never worked with you directly, but they have probably seen some of the projects that your direct supervisor has forwarded to them. Inquire about their opinions of the pieces of your work they have examined and discover whether they have any encouraging or helpful criticism. By requesting feedback, you can demonstrate that you value others’ opinions and care about improving yourself.
Remember to thank the senior manager for their time and inquire about any additional feedback when you follow up with them after your meeting. Writing them a letter of thanks for their time will leave a positive impression.
Tips For Implementing Skip-level Meetings
Meet With Everyone.
Selecting which of your skip-level team members to meet with is unfair because this is a prix fixe menu rather than a buffet. Remember that this is a decision point if you are unable to meet with everyone in a given time frame. Make the decision that is the most just possible.
Don’t Hide The Ball.
If you will be meeting with their direct reports, inform your managers. Explain to the staff why and what to expect before your meeting.
Plan To Stay For 15 Minutes After Each Skip-level Meeting.
Spend some time putting the conversation together, noting trends, and deciding what to do next.
You Should Try To Meet With Each Person Twice A Year.
You might want to think about doing this every three months if you only have a small group of people to meet with.
Things Avoid To Do In A Skip-level Meeting
Since you are not the person who is directly managing the person you are speaking to, skip-level meetings can be challenging to navigate. Make sure you aren’t stepping outside of your authority or undermining your manager. To be a manager to their own direct report, your manager needs space. While you might be ultimately running the entire team, department, or organization, it’s their direct reports, not yours. To avoid doing in your skip-level meetings, keep the following in mind:
- Don’t make decisions. Your manager should make decisions based on their expertise and authority. By making snap judgments in that skip-level meeting without first consulting them, you might unintentionally undermine them.
- Don’t problem-solve. The best leaders assist their team in problem-solving rather than trying to handle everything themselves. If you feel pressured to solve a problem during a skip-level meeting, there is a piece I wrote here on questions you can ask instead.
- Don’t escalate. Resist the urge to escalate a situation right away by saying, “I’m going to take this to so-and-so,” if something unexpected or outright shocking comes up.” Rather, thank the person for the feedback and give yourself some time outside the skip-level meeting to calibrate what might be the best responses. In the heat of the moment, reacting is rarely the wisest course of action.
- Don’t refute. The surest way to dissuade the employee that you’re not truly open to feedback is if you right away jump to refuting their point. “Well, here’s why that is the case. The natural, instinctive response is “Let me tell you,” but it comes across as being defensive. Try these five strategies in their place to improve how you handle critical feedback.
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