Elevate Team Mentoring with 1:1 Check-ins
Mentor, Support, Problem-solve and Connect with Leaders and Teacher Leaders
Check-in meets are a powerful structure for mentoring and supporting leaders and teacher leaders.
Over the last 9 years, my 1:1 check-in meets have evolved from haphazard, vaguely defined interactions to purposeful, structured spaces. This space has become so valuable to me today and so I will describe what it is and how we use it below.
What is a 1:1 check-in Meet?
A 1:1 check-in meet is between a Mentor Leader and Mentee Leader or Teacher Leader.
It is well-planned, recurring and most importantly purposeful.
It is focused on aligning team goals, problem solving, sharing, connecting and growing professionally.
Why are 1:1 check-in Meets valuable?
For me these check-ins have provided rich opportunities for:
Mentoring in context: Practical Skill building using specific, real situations through problem solving and strategic thinking.
Conversations that connect: Connecting as people, beyond just the task list or shared goals.
Supporting Aspirations: Discussions around long-term Vision and Career aspirations, that are typically not urgent and therefore not discussed.
How to create a positive, productive check in space
Check-in meet conversations
Broadly, my check-in conversations are usually around the following:
Recently, I discovered ‘5 critical areas for conversations between managers and contributors’ from BetterWorks in John Doerr’s book ‘Measure what Matters’ aligns perfectly with what my space has become now based on my iteration from experience.
Ingredients for a successful Check-in Meet
For me, Check-in meets must necessarily have:
Structure: They should be scheduled on the calendar and have a thoughtful agenda that is populated by both members in advance. It should be respectful of everyone’s time and start/ end in a timely manner.
Purpose: 100% of the meeting should be purposeful i.e. spent on discussing things that contribute to any of the 4 discussions areas. This also means if there is nothing significant on the agenda, you don’t need to force the meet to happen just because it is there.
Ownership: Ideally this should be regarded as Mentee’s meeting. The responsibility of owning the meet should lie with the Mentee i.e. they drive most of the agenda with the Mentor there to learn and coach. If the Mentee needs to prioritise another more important task, they are free to suggest cancelling or postponing the meet. If the Mentee is still learning or low in self-direction at the start (see self-direction continuum for PD), the Mentor can provide more structured guidance, with the aim of transferring power back to the Mentee once they have developed sufficient capabilities.
Culture: This meet is built on a Culture of Trust and Support. The mentor plays a key role in creating the conditions for safe and open discussion, supportive problem solving, honest feedback without judgement.
Check-in Meets in Practice
1. Strategic Goals: setting, planning, implementing, tracking progress and iterating
Mentor Leader can
Discuss Strategic goals that may be more top-down
Support the development of cascading strategic goals (OKRs) for their teams. In schools these are usually shared instructional goals for various teams.
Track Progress towards strategic goals every quarter and supporting problem-solving /iteration as needed
Mentee Leader/ Teacher can
Clarify, Understand and provide input on top-down strategic goals
Develop department level/ individual goals to support the strategic priorities and an implementation plan
Put forth and discussion ground-up ideas/ potential strategic priorities for their team
Proactively bring in information and items related to Review of Strategic goals
2. Connect and Update
Mentor Leader can
Share ‘FYI’ updates from other teams that may be inspiring, or progress updates from other teams that may be helpful to this team
Share to create a safe space and connect on a more personal level with informal conversations or stories to know each other. Sincerity and even a show of some vulnerability could the Mentee to connect more openly.
Mentee Leader/ Teacher can
Share updates about teams progress. It is an opportunity to make good work or high performing individual team members more visible to leaders who may not interact directly. The quality of the update plays a role in how effective this is. Some of my leaders come in with a well thought out update, filled with links to plans, student work and even photo documentation. For me these are one of the most valuable aspects of my check in since I work with a large team and get limited time on the ground.
Opportunity for more informal sharing including personal joys or circumstances that may be impacting work directly or indirectly. This can help the Mentor not only connect better, but guide the Mentee more effectively.
3. Two-way Coaching
Mentor Leader can
Help the Mentee build practical skills and problem solve in the context of actual situations come up.
Reflect on team issues that are good learning opportunities, both successes and failures, so that incremental change and course correction is possible.
Provide honest and helpful, light weight performance reviews. This includes helping them understand the current reality, identifying areas of strength / improvement and advising them on ways to build those areas. I always tell myself and my leaders, if the mentee hears about a significant challenge for the first time in an annual performance review, the mentor leader has been unsuccessful with this/.
Invite feedback on leadership actions from team member.
Mentee Leader/ Teacher can
Engage in two-way coaching with courage by sharing honest feedback and openly asking questions.
Bring situations for discussion on which coaching may help. They may be related to interpersonal conflict, prioritisation of goals, implementation of projects, resource allocation, etc.
Demonstrate a commitment to improving by taking action.
Propose and refine personal development goals with the Mentors advice.
4. Aspirations
Mentor Leader can
Understand the aspirations of the team member, especially long term goals. Sometimes the Mentor may have to help them think long term with guiding questions and examples, because very often the Mentee has not thought about this themselves yet.
Share opportunities in the organisation, both short term and long term that align with their goals, and guide them towards achieving the ones they wish to pursue.
Providing strategic advice on what they can do to achieve long term career aspirations.
Mentee Leader/ Teacher can
Put forth aspirations thoughtfully and openly.
Invest time in preparing for the conversations by reflecting, reading, following up on suggestions before the subsequent discussions.
For me, 1:1 check-in meets have evolved into a powerful vehicle for mentorship and leadership development, fostering purposeful connections and growth opportunities for leaders and teacher leaders alike!