Exercise · Performance Management with AI
The One-to-One
Practice a regular one-to-one in six steps and find out something the manager did not know.
Time60 minutes
ParticipantsGroups of three
Materials"What the manager sees" and "What is really going on" cards (6 pairs), observer checklists
From the trainingPerformance Management with AI
Why this exercise
The manager gets a card with the employee's metrics; the employee gets a card with what they really think and feel: one is thinking of leaving, another is overloaded. If the manager starts straight with the numbers, the most important thing never gets said. The exercise trains the questions that make a person open up, and the habit of not turning the meeting into a review of mistakes.
How to run it
- Groups of three: manager, employee, observer. They do not show each other their cards.
- The rule for the employee: play the card, but open up in response to a good question.
- A round: 2 minutes to prepare, 10 minutes of meeting, 5 minutes of feedback — first the manager, then the employee, then the observer using the checklist.
- Three rounds with a change of roles and a new situation — everyone gets to be the manager.
- A general debrief of a few minutes.
Debrief questions
- What did you learn at the "How are you?" step?
- Which question opened the employee up?
- Where did you want to give advice straight away instead of asking?
Tips for the facilitator
- The most common mistake is to skip the first step and go straight to the numbers. If a group of three did this, suggest they replay the first 3 minutes.
- If the meeting turned into a review of mistakes, ask the employee: "Would you want to come to another meeting like this?"