What Is A Skip-Level Meeting? And How to Conduct One
When I got hired at Oakley to run Global Creative Operations, it was my first time managing such a large team. Having 40+ people to keep track of was fun and, at times, chaotic.
I relied on my direct reports to own their slice of our department but soon I realized that that layer of management meant I didn’t interact with a slew of folks on my team on a regular basis.
Organizational structure on a team can be a luxury, especially in businesses and departments that are typically flat. I knew for effectiveness my managers needed to manage their own teams, but for communication, it meant I was often a step removed.
I learned the power of skip-level meetings, though I do admit I didn’t know that was their official name.
WHAT IS A SKIP-LEVEL MEETING?
Skip-level meetings are 1:1 meetings that managers hold with the people their direct reports manage. In my case, it literally meant I’d skip a level down to connect with more of my department.
When your team is big enough and there are layers between you and other team members, skip-level meetings are a great tool to improve communication. The more removed from the day-to-day work a team leader is, the harder it is to have a feel for what's happening and how people are really doing. Skip-level meetings help close the communication gap.
For me, I missed interacting with some of the people on my team and genuinely wanted to keep a strong connection with them. And I wanted to do that in a way that didn’t encroach on their relationship with their own manager.
I was lucky at Oakley our team vibe was authentic and friendly. Our team environment made having skip-level meetings a natural part of how I managed our group. My direct reports didn’t question my intent, nor did they get nervous about me speaking directly to their team. There was so much value in these meetings that everyone benefitted.
BENEFITS OF SKIP-LEVEL MEETINGS
My guess is everyone walked away with some benefit from these meetings, I know I as the department head did, and I have to imagine everyone else did in some way as well.
For the team manager, skip-level meetings allow them to:
· Get a frontline pulse on what’s happening a few layers away from them
· Build both relationship and trust in a more powerful and direct way
· Personally demonstrate valuing everyone on the team
· Hear feedback and observations to help everyone improve
For managers (AKA the level that’s skipped), skip level meetings allow them to:
· Learn from example what it means to be an intentional leader
· Receive feedback from direct reports who may share improvement opportunities with the team manager
· Feel supported by a manager who stays involved vs. grows detached from team happenings
For employees, skip-level meetings allow them to:
· Get exposure to senior management to foster mentoring and growth
· Receive personal attention to be able to give and receive insights and feedback
· Feel valued from the direct and personal connection with a senior leader
Now, I don’t want to seem naive to think that just because I had a good experience with conducting skip-level meetings, every manager does. Not every team culture fosters communication and transparency. I’ve been privy to some teams where if a department head went direct to their manager’s direct reports, people would be both suspicious and concerned.
Good intentions with skip-level meetings may not always pan out that way.
DISADVANTAGES OF SKIP-LEVEL MEETINGS
I’m not sure if calling these disadvantages is exactly the right phrase. It’s more like things to be watchful for if you are going to start having them.
Everyone has an agenda – Whether blatant or subtle, everyone is playing a game to some degree. Having the ear of a boss’s boss could invoke an exchange with a hidden agenda. At the minimum employees want to be heard, on the extreme they want the big boss to know their grievances.
They are time-consuming – Depending on the length of the 1:1s and the number of people on a team, skip-level meetings could become time prohibitive. Be careful, if you start scheduling them don’t abandon efforts part-way through because it’s taking up too much time. Once you start, honor the commitment to finish.
They create direct access that’s harder to control – Once employees get a forum with a senior manager, they may circumvent their own manager to get a direct line of communication. Unless the senior leader has a solid response to re-direct the person back to their manager, the open communication line may become cloudy.
If you are managing a team where your direct reports also have direct reports AND you feel like you and the team would grow stronger through skip-level meeting connections, I’d encourage you to have them. Building trust on teams starts with cultivating personal relationships, and, in my opinion, the results from meeting with every frontline employee every quarter or so far outweighs the amount of time they take.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD SKIP-LEVEL MEETINGS OCCUR?
If we do the math on meeting for an hour with a team of 32 or so employees, it really is a big chunk of time, especially when a team is crazy busy.
That said, there aren’t any hard and fast rules I know of about the frequency or the length of these meetings. My main piece of advice, as I shared above: Once you start, honor the commitment to finish. Nothing says “I’m not entirely committed to this team” like having a few skip-level meetings and then neglecting the rest. Trust me, they’ll know.
Do the time and scheduling calculations for your own team. Perhaps you commit to 5-8 skip-level meetings a week, 60 minutes per person, with a goal of finishing within a month and doing this twice a year. Obviously, the size of your team will dictate the numbers.
Friends, even if you did these once a year, I’d imagine you’ll see benefits. Twice a year, better. Once a quarter, golden. Put quality above quantity. Ultimately, one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to these meetings. Adjust the frequency and length as you have them and learn what best fits you and your team. You don’t want to overdo the frequency if it dilutes the benefits.
Allow enough time to ask a few intentional and productive questions (see below for suggestions) and keep a consistent agenda with each person you meet with. It’s all too easy for the conversation to veer off course and spend the time talking about management training topic and leadership coaching that don’t fulfill the purpose. I’ll share a few logistics to help.
HOW TO HAVE A SKIP-LEVEL MEETING
Skip-level meetings do not need to be complicated or cause anyone anxiety. Start simple and let them flow from there, arming yourself with 2-3 powerful questions could be an easy way to begin.
PREPARATION
Being prepared might be the most important step. Time is a precious commodity, and no one wants these meetings to be a waste. By preparing - thinking through the goals, crafting the questions to ask, and being ready for any potential questions – a team leader immediately shows that these meetings are purposeful and valued. I share more tips on preparing for skip-level meetings down below.
COMMUNICATION
Communicating with the team is probably the next most important step. I am reminded of my time at Oakley where I would put skip-level meetings on the calendar on a random basis. Folks on the team later told me these meetings (without any advance notice or agenda included) made them nervous.
In advance of scheduling them, let your direct managers know your goal of using skip-level meetings to help create stronger communication lines and better personal connections with everyone on the team. You could share the sample questions you might ask and see if these folks have any ideas or input prior to meeting with their team. Assure them you’ll share feedback you receive that can help them become a stronger manager.
Then, let the whole team know your plans. Reiterate the goal of creating strong communication lines and better personal connections with everyone on the team. Share the timeline and ask for availability and flexibility with scheduling, which can prove complicated on busy teams.
DELIVERY
See if you can narrow your agenda down to 4 questions. Given the time allotted (say, 60 minutes) that gives you about 10 minutes to discuss each question and allows the space for an opening chat and wrapping up at the end.
There are so many options for questions depending on your goals. Google “skip-level meetings” and a boatload come up. Here are a few of my favorites:
· What made you decide to become a(n) [whatever their role is]? – Asking a personal question helps build rapport
· If you were the manager of your team, what's one thing you would do differently? Why? – Asking for team-specific insights helps you help their manager and the whole team improve
· If we had the budget to get you any one thing for you to make you better at your job, what would you want? – Asking a growth-related question keeps them forward-focused
· What are your biggest concerns or frustrations right now? – Asking about current challenges helps you know what knots to untangle
SKIP-LEVEL MEETINGS USEFUL TIPS TO HELP PREPARE
The most useful tip with skip-level meetings is to actually prepare. Sounds easy, but I promise, when you are busy and scrambling to find time to conduct these meetings, you may find yourself skimping on the preparation only because there aren’t enough hours in the day.
Consider a simple 3-part preparation:
1. What’s my goal?
2. What are my questions?
3. What are my next steps afterward?
WHAT’S MY GOAL?
Is your goal to connect in your remote/hybrid environment? Is it to build or deepen relationships? Is it to get to know new staff? Is it to dig into team issues? Is it to improve communication? Maybe you are nodding right now and saying, “All of the above.”
Narrow your goal down as specific as you can, this helps when you are done to determine whether the meetings themselves proved helpful. For example, if your main goal is to improve communication, you can design the questions to dig into communication challenges or bottlenecks and you can audit any communication improvements moving forward, once you’ve made a few adjustments or fixes based on what you’ve heard.
Without a goal, the conversations may be nice, but the outcomes may prove vague.
WHAT ARE MY QUESTIONS?
Think FIRE: Feedback, Insights, Rapport, and Exchange. FIRE isn’t necessarily the order of your questions, but it could be a simple framework to help you author 4 meaningful questions.
F - Consider a question designed to get their feedback. Remind them that everyone grows with feedback and see if your question can solicit places to improve. Do they have feedback on systems or processes? Do they have feedback to help someone on the team improve (including you and their direct manager)?
I – Consider a question that solicits their insights. Dig in a little by asking a question that helps them share their perspective and their thoughts on how to make things better for themselves and the team. If there have been specific problems or challenges lately, ask for their feedback on a solution.
R - Consider a question designed to build rapport and relationship. It doesn’t have to be overly personal (their thoughts on the upcoming primary elections), yet you can ask about their outside interests, something they’re looking forward to, what drew them to your industry, or another relationship-building topic.
E – Have a prompt or two at the ready that encourages a two-way exchange. As a senior leader of the team, you may be unconscious of the power dynamic that may suppress a lower-level employee’s willingness to share with you. Skip-level meetings aren’t one-way conversations. The power is in the exchange. Curate a few prompts like, “Tell me more about that.” or “Can we go deeper on that?”
WHAT ARE MY NEXT STEPS AFTERWARD?
The work doesn’t stop once these meetings are complete. You will most likely have action steps that naturally fall out of these conversations. If you said you’d follow up on something, do. If you said you’d look into something, do. If you said you’d fix something, do. Nothing discourages employees from sharing with senior managers more than a lack of action stemming from their input.
Chances are there will be things shared or discussed that you can’t feasibly solve or take action on. That’s OK. The key is to communicate what you are doing as a result of these skip-level meetings, even if it is tabling the suggestion or de-prioritizing the issue.
The follow-up from skip-level meetings is as important as the meetings themselves. Be clear and open about what you can and can’t do coming out of your conversations with them.
WHAT NOT TO DO IN A SKIP-LEVEL MEETING
Be aware of a few of the “don’t do” parts of skip-level meetings. Your good intentions with planning and conducting them could become overshadowed by a potential misstep or two. I call this the “Glamour Don’t” list. It’s helpful to read ahead of time to make sure you are watchful in anticipation of violating any.
Don’t lose track of the time or the agenda
Chatting and catching up is great, to a degree. Keep your eye on the time, curb any off-track topics, and don’t lose track of your goals and the questions you want to ask and get answered.
Don’t assume their manager’s role
· They already have a manager and that should be their primary line of communication. You aren’t there to replace that connection and there may be things you hear that are better dealt with by their manager. Keep the question, “Have you talked to your manager about this?” in your back pocket.
Don’t bypass their manager’s input
You may unintentionally undermine their manager if you make immediate decisions in that skip-level meeting without consulting them.
Don’t continually cancel them
I know you are busy. Everyone is. Remember how important these skip-level meetings are and honor the scheduled time slot as best you can. An occasional reschedule is unavoidable, and constant cancellations or no-shows are unacceptable.
I hope you are walking away from this post with not only an understanding of the importance of skip-level meetings, and their power to add value to the team and strengthen relationships, but also an idea of how to conduct them yourself.
Using skip-level meetings as a tool to build trust, relationships, and communication as a team leader is one of the most powerful things you can do.
SKIP-LEVEL MEETINGS FAQS
What is the purpose of skip-level meetings?
Skip-level meetings are a great tool to improve communication down the ranks of any given team. The purpose is to establish a personal connection, build rapport, and - ultimately - trust between a department manager and the folks who report to their direct reports.
What do you say in a skip-level meeting?
It’s less about what you say and more about the action of meeting face-to-face and growing a relationship. Refer higher up in this article to see the FIRE framework that gives you an idea of areas you can discuss. Any attempt to get to know the person better, elicit their feedback, and hear their perspective is valid in a skip-level meeting.
Is a skip-level meeting good or bad?
As long as a manager has the right intentions and isn’t using the skip-level meeting to circumvent the employee’s actual manager, I’d imagine these meetings are always a good thing. Connection and communication are such important parts of a team; Skip-level meetings help the entire group feel more invested in each other and the work they do.
What can I expect at a skip-level meeting?
If you’ve never had a skip-level meeting, it can be hard to know what to expect. Typically, your manager’s manager will schedule a skip-level meeting in an effort to get to know people throughout the team. Expect that they will be interested in you, the job you’re doing, and anything that would help the team improve. It is not intended to be a gossip session or a witch hunt for blame. Share your perspective and help provide input that would make everyone’s job better.
OTHER REFERENCES
Article: When your senior leader wants to meet with your team without you
Article: 101+ Questions to Ask in a Skip-level Meeting
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About The Author
For the past two decades, Cecilia Gorman has helped advertising agencies and other creatively-minded companies fix costly communication and productivity issues by teaching managers how to become better connectors, motivators, and leaders. Cecilia is the creator of the digital learning course for managers—Manager Boot Camp, and co-founder of the global training and support community for working women—Empowership.
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