How to Use Skip-Level Meetings Effectively

Last updated: August 30, 2021
Estimated reading time: 4.5 min

Purpose of Skip-Level Meetings

跨级别会议是管理者与员工而不是直接管理人员举行的一对一会议。在大多数中小型组织中，这些会议通常是与你管理人员的直接下属进行的。在大型的层级组织中，你和你要见的人之间可能有多个层级。(From now on, we’re going to refer to the manager that you manage as “the manager” and the person they manage as “the staff person.”)

They are helpful for:

1. Building relationshipswith people on your team who don’t directly report to you.
2. 对你的团队和组织获得有价值的见解。
3. Getting feedback about the managers that you manage (or about yourself!).

Assuming that your organization has a traditional, hierarchical structure, if you manage managers, you probably have a fair amount of positional power. You may also have other types of power and privilege relative to the staff person. Skip-level meetings are a way to leverage the power you have to build trust, invite a diversity of perspectives, and gather information that helps you be more strategic and accountable in your decision-making.

Anatomy of a Skip-Level Meeting

There are tons of variables that determine the exact agenda of a skip-level meeting, but the basic components are the same whether it’s your first time or your tenth time.

1. Set the tone.

与老板的老板会面就像被叫到校长办公室一样。Alleviate any anxiety and dispel assumptions by sharing the purpose of the meeting (if it’s your first skip-level with this person,share why you do skip-level meetings, in general). Be clear about what you’renot想要摆脱困境(比如做决定或解决问题)。分享你将如何使用会议中收集的信息(包括你将与谁分享)。

2. Connect.

This part isn’t rocket science—get curious and deepen your personal connection. You don’t need to learn their life story, but ask questions to better understand where they come from and what motivates them. If you have specific praise to share, this is a good time to do it.

3. Invite their insight and/or feedback.

For many of you, this is where you might spend most of your time in this meeting. Get their perspective on how things are functioning at the organization and how they’re being managed. The staff person might be reluctant to be fully honest, so do your best to help them feel at ease.记得保持倾听模式。Resist the urge to problem-solve, defend, refute, or explain unless you are explicitly asked to. It can take a lot of courage to share insights that may go against the norm or to raise concerns. Even if you don’t agree or understand, make sure to appreciate them for their honesty.

4. Open it up.

Ask if there’s anything else they’d like to discuss.

5.结束。

Thank them for their time, share your next steps, and restate how you plan to use the information. If they raised concerns about their manager, encourage them to address those issues directly if it makes sense to do so. Lastly, share a specific appreciation for their contributions to the team.

Questions to Ask

Tips for Implementing Skip-Level Meetings

Meet with everyone.

This is a prix fixe menu, not a buffet—it’s not fair to pick and choose which of your skip-level team members to meet with. If you absolutely can’t meet with everyone in a time period, remember that this is achoice point. Think about the most equitable choice you can make.

不要把球藏起来。

Tell your managers that you’ll be meeting with their direct reports. Tell the staff members why you will be meeting with them and what they can expect (see our template emails on the next page).

Aim for meeting twice a year with each person.

If you only have a handful of people to meet with, you may want to consider doing this quarterly.

Schedule 15 minutes post every skip-level meeting.

花点时间综合对话，捕捉趋势，然后决定下一步。

准备好开始了吗?Check ourSkip-Level Meeting Sample Emails用于通知经理和员工。

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