Essential Manager Meetings: Three Month Catch Up
One of the key meetings that I’ve done throughout my career with new hires or folks new to their role, is the “Three Month Catch Up”. This meeting provides an opportunity to conduct an informal checkin with your direct report on how things have been going, allowing you to learn and potentially course correct, while continuing to build empathy and trust. Please note, this post builds on the Essential Meetings to Have With Your People as a Manager.
Three Month Catch Up
Purpose: To conduct an informal “mini-review” of the employee’s first three months at the organization to better understand strengths, areas of improvement, and what this person has liked/disliked over the first few months.
Overview:
For new hires, engineers new to their role (e.g. recent promotion), and especially junior engineers starting their first job, I have introduced a “three month catchup”. This meeting provides an opportunity to sit down with a new employee in a more focused session.
When things are going well this meeting helps to promote continued flow. When things are not going well it is an opportunity to provide constructive feedback in a more formal manner. At times I have utilized this meeting as a “mini performance review”. If you are conducting frequent one-on-ones (as I know you are!) then this meeting will be pretty straight forward with no surprises. However, I find it important to carve out time specifically for the employee to voice their thoughts on the new job/role in a more concentrated way.
One to two weeks before the meeting, I conduct a quick 10-15 minute overview discussion of the meeting, where we go over the agenda and topics. I then share the document with my report for them to fill out theirselves ahead of the meeting. Before the meeting both you and your direct report should fill out the form. Your direct report fills out the full document, while you as the manager fill out strenghts, development areas, and goals. This allows a two-way discussion.
The catch up, when conducted, is an opportunity for your direct report to discuss in more detail than a standard 1-1 how the first three months of their job have been.
Agenda and topics:
- Understand what your direct report has enjoyed and not enjoyed working on in the first three months.
- Discuss strengths and areas of improvement. Start with self reflection, what does this person feel?
- See the meeting template for a detailed outline. Both parties fill out the form separately ahead of the meeting then discuss.
Frequency: One time, three months after start date with new hire.
Meeting Length: 30-45 minutes.
Additional Resources: