1:1s at Alpaca: What they are and why we do them
Team Letter | August 5, 2024
August 5, 2024
Happy Monday, Alpaca!
As we said last week, this is going to be a great big week. We are finishing packout for our back to school packs and shipping them all out the door this week. That’s a big job, but I know we can do it!
We will ALSO be launching Alpaca Pulse to our first cohort customers this week. I am so excited for what is possible with this product! And this is only the beginning.
I want to give a huge shout out to our two newest team members, Lila and Maci, who have each taken on great leadership in these products going out to customers this August. That’s a hard thing to do in your first month of work!
You may have already seen on your calendars this week that I’ve scheduled 1:1s with all of my direct reports this week (most of these occur tomorrow because we’ve got more events at the end of this week!) So! I wanted to take a moment to remind us all (and perhaps let the new folks know) what 1:1s are and why we do them at Alpaca.
As part of being a team member here at Alpaca, it’s very important to me that you feel like you have a great relationship with your manager, a great relationship with your team, a connection to the education and start-up communities, a workplace that feels healthy, and opportunities to grow personally.
Sound familiar? That’s because those are the same five things that are our key drivers of wellbeing for educators. living out those same values for our own employees means that we can speak more thoughtfully to those ideas with our customers.
Part of the way we check in on that is through a 1:1 meeting with your manager, once every other week. Many companies will do these type of check-ins with their team members on an intermittent or an “as needed” basis, but I’ve learned in earlier jobs that when you create a consistent practice of 1:1s, it creates the opportunity for better dialogue, while also offering the opportunity to give and receive feedback. And to me, feedback is one of the best gifts we can give each other as a team. So let’s jump in!
How does a 1:1 work at Alpaca?
You will see a 1:1 on your calendar from your manager, many of which are still me! For one hour, you’ll have the opportunity to meet and talk through your experience as an employee of the company.
Earlier this year, our manager team put together a format for our 1:1s that I think is really great. It starts with our five areas of wellbeing:
Supportive leadership
High trust team
Connected communities
Healthy workplace
Personal growth
In each topic, we’ll set aside 5 to 10 minutes of discussion on each one. In each of these areas your manager will ask questions like:
Supportive Leadership: Do you have any feedback for me?
High Trust Team: Are there team members that you would like to build, stronger, collaboration or relationship with?
Connected Communities: How would you like to get more involved in local communities?
Healthy Workplace: How is your work-life balance right now?
Personal Growth: Are there skills you’d like to develop?
3 Tips for Great 1:1s
Great 1:1s are all of our job! Here are 3 ways that managers and employees can both make them great:
Commit to giving and receiving feedback. It can be a very natural feeling to be apprehensive about giving and receiving the back. One of the things that I have learned over time, is that if you are willing to commit to giving and receiving one piece of feedback, in every single 1:1, you absolutely will get better as an employee, and your manager will get better as a manager. So, talk to your manager, and make a plan for giving and receiving feedback. I know it can be really challenging! But feedback is the lifeblood of great companies. and the more you practice it, the easier it gets.
Keep 1:1s focused on employee experience, not to-do lists. I recommend that you do not conflate your 1:1 meeting with your to do list or operational conversations. If you have approvals that you need on content, or questions about the design of a product, or some project that needs collaboration, that’s great! But, it’s not for your 1:1. Your 1:1 should be used specifically to talk about your work, your experience as an employee, and your relationship with your manager and the team. Try to schedule other time for the operational stuff, so that you can focus on your experience as an employee at your 1:1. You’ll be glad you did!
Make the meeting work for you. The last thing is to remember that your 1:1 is, at the end of the day, a meeting to support you as an employee. If you are struggling with some component of your job, such as not having confidence in a skill set that is needed, or struggling with a relationship at work, this is the moment to talk about that. Your manager can only help you as much as you are willing to share and talk about your experience at work. Use the time wisely, and if you need the full hour to talk through one issue, do that. At the end of the day, our work is each of our responsibilities. We want everyone in this company to feel amazing when they come to work every single day! These meetings help us all make that happen for one another.
If you have ideas for how to make 1:1s better, or would like to share something you learned through doing 1:1s, I hope you’ll share them in the comments and in our conversations. let’s have a great week of 1:1s!
Let’s go!
Kb