- \n
- Questions to help you take charge of your one on ones<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions for managing up<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions to drive your career growth<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions to Ask Your Manager if They\u2019re the CEO<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions to ask in one on ones with the managers under you to help you better support them<\/a><\/em>\n
- \n
- Questions to ask about the Multiplier Mindset<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions to ask how things are going with their team?<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions to ask about resources they need & how they perceive you <\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions to ask how they're feeling? <\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions to ask about how they manage & grow their people <\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions to talk about handling change <\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions to talk about managing up <\/em>to you<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Further reading<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
First, we'll dive into questions to ask in one on ones with your boss to help you better manage up. <\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Let\u2019s](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/thirst-for-knowledge.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nPart 1: 23 Questions to Ask Your Boss During One on Ones <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Having effective one on one meetings<\/a> with your boss is important for a number of reasons. They can help you: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Get feedback on what you need to improve <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Receive coaching in areas you're working to grow<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Strengthen your rapport with your boss, improving communication and reducing potential issues <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Offer your ideas and suggestions to improve your team, and how you work<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Avoid surprises and ensure you get good news at performance review time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
And that's just the beginning. As former Intel CEO Andy Grove<\/a> put it, regular one on ones can offer more than a 10x return on your time invested in them: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Andy-Grove-Value-of-one-on-ones-Get-Lighthouse-Blog.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThese meetings are a priceless opportunity. It\u2019s crucial to know which questions to ask your manager during them. When else do you have the undivided attention of your manager, and have them solely focused on you? Chances are, this is the only time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether your manager is taking advantage of your regular one on ones with you or not, with the right set of questions to ask your manager, you have the power to take charge of your one on one meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you're not getting what you want out of them, then bring some of your own agenda items<\/a> and questions to change that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can create that 10X return just as much as your manager can. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are questions to ask your manager to make the most out of your one on ones, and get them more engaged in supporting you: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Andy-Grove-1-on-1s-are-about-team-members-priorities-600x375.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n1) Questions to help you take charge of your one on ones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Most managers have good intentions. Unfortunately, whether overworked, overwhelmed, or just figuring things out for the first time, they don't always have everything perfect for you and your 1 on 1s. It\u2019s therefor up to you to decipher exactly which questions to ask your manager to get the most out of your meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first place to start is if your manager isn't being consistent with your one on ones. After all, if they're not happening, there's no benefit to be gained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use a question like this to get your manager to reschedule the next time they try to cancel a one on one<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- 1) \"Okay. I understand you have something pressing, and these meetings are important to me. When can we reschedule our 1 on 1 meeting to?\"<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
This kind of response is useful for three reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- You're building reciprocity<\/strong> by agreeing to their request, then asking for a favor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You're using \"and\u201d instead of \"but\u201d<\/strong> which helps build on the conversation instead of making it seem like you're disagreeing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You're immediately requesting a rescheduled time<\/strong>, making them less likely to forget, or put it off. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
To make this even more effective, be prepared to suggest some new times for them to choose from. You can even bring up your calendar if you're talking in person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your goal is to make it as easy as possible to reschedule right away and avoid missed conversations from canceled one on ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Key questions to help you take charge of your one on ones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There's a lot more you can do than just make sure your manager sticks to your one on ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With specific key questions to ask your manager during your one on one meetings, you can influence what's talked about, what you get out of each meeting, and whether action is taken on what you cover. You may wish your manager would take charge, but that's no excuse to keep having wasted meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some more questions to ask your manager to help lead your one on one meetings with better results and outcomes: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- 2) To get Status Updates out<\/a> of your 1 on 1s:<\/strong> How can I best give you updates at another time? How about an email, a chat message, or a few minutes in [team meeting X]? <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 3) For Career Advice: <\/strong><\/a>What skills do you think are most important for me to work on right now to help me advance? <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 4) <\/strong>I'd like to build a plan for my development. What do you see as important steps for me? <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 5) <\/em><\/strong>To encourage note taking<\/a>:<\/strong> Would you like me to write that down for you, or send you a note later about it? <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 6) To ensure progress happens: <\/strong>What do you think we can both do for next time based on what we talked about? (Lean more about the Progress Principle here.<\/a> )<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/managing-up-boss-600x299.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2) Questions for managing up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What does your manager think of you? How can you manage up effectively, so you reduce the chance of having problems with them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or, even better, how can you strengthen your relationship with your manager? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowing how to effectively manage up is an important part of taking charge of your career; the relationship you have with your manager impacts everything from the projects you are assigned, the recognition you receive, your compensation, and promotions and new opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Beth_Miller.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLeadership coach and Vistage Chair Beth Armknecht Miller<\/a> says that the relationship you have with your managers can transform your career: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Over the years, I have had the opportunity to coach many rising stars on their relationship with their manager, which is often the most critical to their success in an organization.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Miller says there are three key elements to effectively managing up<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
1) Know your boss's priorities and goals<\/strong>. When you know his\/her priorities, you can tailor the information you share during meetings and conversations with them. And when you are able to assist your manager in accomplishing his\/her goals, you are demonstrating you are dependable and take initiative, two highly coveted traits managers look for in their employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2) Anticipate the needs of your manager<\/strong>. The more you anticipate their needs and demonstrate your understanding of them, the more confidence and influence you will build with your manager. They'll trust you more and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3) Talk like your manager<\/strong>. Use the language and terms that he or she often uses, and focus on the topics that are most important to him\/her. This aligns you and them to achieve goals for both of you. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
One on one meetings with your boss are the perfect place to do all three of these things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the right questions to ask your manager, you can uncover their priorities, goals, needs, and their language and communication style. This helps you succeed in your career and becomes information you can use to improve your relationship with your manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Questions to ask your manager for uncovering their needs, goals, and language<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
By asking the right questions, you can discover all kinds of useful information to better understand and work with your manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are questions to ask your manager to better manage up: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- 7) What are your priorities? What wins do you need? <\/em>(Uncover your manager's goals and priorities, which could be different than yours.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 8) What parts of my work are most important for you to be up to date on often? Where do you trust my work and I can be more autonomous?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 9) What causes you to feel stressed about my work? What gives you confidence?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 10) What have team members that frustrated you or were challenging to work with done or failed to do?<\/em> (Avoid these things to keep your manager happy with your work.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
And questions to ask your manager to help you anticipate their needs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- 11) Would X be helpful for you? How would you change it? (<\/em>Great if you have an idea to help you or the team)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 12) What do you recommend I do when I get stuck on [area you're weaker in]? <\/em>(What do they want you to do when you get stuck? Also a great way to get them to coach you) <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 13) If I need help with something, what's the best way to get your input or support? <\/em>(Useful if they have a hands-off management style and for finding out how they want you to go about getting input\/support from them)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 14) What\u2019s the best way to approach you when I have an idea I\u2019d like to discuss with you?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Listen carefully to what they have to say, and practice active listening skills<\/a> to ensure you understand them. In many cases, the requests they'll make will be totally reasonable and just as easy to do as the other way you might have planned to do things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further reading:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Looking for more questions to ask your manager during your valuable 1 on 1s? Want to further tune up your 1 on 1s, and get better at managing up? Here's where to start: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Learn how you can improve one on one meetings with your manager: 7 Essential Tips for Effective 1 on 1 Meetings with Your Manager<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Some of our best Advice for Managing Up at Work from Experienced Leaders<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If you liked the above questions, here are 18 Questions to Ask Your Manager to Improve Your Relationship and Better Manage Up<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"Questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Dilbert-lack-of-career-growth-employee-development-600x187.gif\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3) Questions to ask your manager to drive your career growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Improving the relationship you have with your manager is one of the most important elements for your career growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks to the law of reciprocity (if you do something for me, I'm more likely to do something for you), if you're helping your manager out in a few ways, they'll be more likely to want to help you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, most managers aren't like Dilbert's boss. They have your best interest in mind, and want to help you succeed. However, they are unlikely to have your career top of mind nearly as much as you do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/dilbert_career_path.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou need to show it's important to you and keep it top of mind for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the right questions to ask your manager in your 1 on 1s, you can open up your career to grow in a variety of ways. Like the other questions we've discussed today, your initiative to ask about your career growth can help get the ball rolling towards many positive results for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- 15) What are the most important areas I need to master to get promoted here?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 16) What skills gaps do you feel I have?<\/em> (Remember: your manager is the person who will have to advocate for your advancement, so their opinion matters a lot.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 17) What kinds of milestones do I need to hit?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 18) What are key habits you feel make someone successful in [your new role\/ the role you want next]?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 19) Can you help me get approval \/ or do you have budget for X? I think it will help me grow because.... <\/em>(Talk about getting a book, a course, conference, etc. that will help you in your career)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 20) What would it take for you to feel I'm ready for [desired role\/promotion]?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 21) What do you feel are my strengths? How could those help the team more and help me advance in my career?<\/em> (More on the value of focusing on your strengths here<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 22) What are some of the biggest mistakes I need to avoid at this point in my career?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 23) Who were some of your biggest role-models and people you looked up to early in your career? Why?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
\n![\"Questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/elephant-in-the-room.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nChecking in on your progress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A conversation is only the beginning. Once you've established what you need to work on, and where you're heading, you need to make progress on it regularly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you begin making progress, these are the perfect questions to ask your manager to check in with your manager to see how you're doing along the way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- 24) Do you feel my skills are improving in the areas we identified I need to work on?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 25) What are the biggest barriers I still have to [the next promotion, raise, goal you're working towards]?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 26) What would make you feel totally ready to advocate for me?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 27) What is the #1 thing I can do to keep improving in [your biggest area of weakness you and your manager are working on]?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Some of these questions can be scary. You may not love what you hear, but it will get the elephants out of the room. If there's a weakness your manager sees or something holding you back, you need to know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Add](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Screenshot_3.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt's much better to hear these things on a Tuesday afternoon mid-quarter than it is to have a big surprise at the end of the year. By then, you want to have made progress and fixed those issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being brave and taking charge of your career is how you advance faster. It also demonstrates to your manager you're serious about your career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asking tough questions and really listening to your manager is the best way to make sure the effort you put in is noticed and headed in the right direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further reading:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
No one cares more about your career than you. If you want to learn more about developing your career, and how to help others do the same, check out these posts: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- More on driving your own career growth<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- An option to consider if your company doesn't have many promotions is to look at these ideas: Employee Development: How to grow your employees when you can't promote them<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- What to do if you can't figure out what your goals are: How to help when your team member can't answer \"What are your career goals?\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Think about your career by asking yourself these questions we encourage managers to ask their teams: How to Help Your Team Achieve Their Goals<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668878-1024x683.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n4) Questions to Ask Your Manager if They\u2019re the CEO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If your manager is the CEO of your company, or you get the chance to meet your company\u2019s CEO for another reason, asking them the right questions can give you invaluable insights you couldn\u2019t have gotten anywhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They\u2019ll have a unique, and important perspective on many things, including your company\u2019s future and plans for growth. They\u2019re the final decision maker and vision setter for the company, after all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your company\u2019s CEO will also be able to give you tips on how you can grow, especially if you want to become an executive leader yourself one day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s some key questions to ask your CEO in the limited time you have meeting with them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Questions about developments plans for the company<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One of the best topics to discuss with your CEO is the future of your company. How they think about the company\u2019s future prospects and growth are major indicators of what you can expect in the short- and long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How are they thinking about organizational structure? What do they look for in future leaders? What\u2019s their plan for scaling up? You can find out by asking them the following and similar questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
28) How do you think our org structure will be different in 6-12 months compared to now?
29) What are the most important milestones our company needs to hit in the next year? What happens if we do or do not hit them?
30) How do you think about the design of our organization? What are the most important guiding principles in your opinion? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAsking questions like these will help you understand your company\u2019s biggest priorities are, and how your company may be changing in the coming months and years. And all of this will be coming straight from the most important decision maker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further reading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Why a Flat Organizational Structure will Fail as You Grow<\/a>, a blog you can share with them to learn from and avoid the mistakes of companies such as Zappos, Medium, and Buffer<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Why everything breaks at 25 employees<\/a>, which is all about the growing pains growing companies go through at that size. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"growth](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pexels-rodnae-productions-7647943-1-1024x683.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nQuestions about your growth and learning opportunities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Meeting with your CEO is the perfect opportunity to understand career growth opportunities at your company. This is important for your own career development as well as that of your team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For you personally, it helps you chart out a career development plan and take concrete next steps for achieving your ambitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For your team, it makes it easier to motivate them as you\u2019ll be able to tell them exactly what\u2019s expected of them to level up in their career and who to talk to to make that happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To find out how your CEO supports the development of their employees, ask them the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
31) How much do you look to promote from within vs. hiring external senior leaders?<\/em>
32) What qualities do you look for in potential internal promotions? <\/em>
33) What is your philosophy on employee growth and development? <\/em>
33) How should the company and managers like me support the growth of our teams? <\/em>
34) What is your approach to budgeting for things like employee growth?<\/em>
35) For high potential people on my team, what do you think is the best way to make sure we keep them in mind for future roles and opportunities?<\/em>
36) How do you see me fitting into the future growth of the company? (best to ask if you work close enough to them for them to know you and your work well)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nWith these questions, you\u2019ll have a clear understanding of how you and your team can progress in your career and what the company is doing (not going to do) to support you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further reading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Learn The Top 10 Reasons Companies Fail at Promoting from Within<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- And if you need to convert your CEO to believe more in internal promotions, consider this post: Why you should promote from within and how to do it well<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Questions about the CEO\u2019s career that can help you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If your aim is to become an executive one day, meeting with your CEO will be a goldmine of opportunities to learn how. In most cases, it\u2019s taken them years or even decades to get to where they are today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why they\u2019ll be able to tell you what skills to work on specifically and what mistakes to avoid as you work on your own development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my first job after graduating college, I cold-emailed the CEO<\/a> of the company I was working at asking to meet with him and ask questions about entrepreneurship. Amazingly, he replied and spent over an hour with me sharing advice I still follow to this day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may be surprised how open most CEOs will be to giving you advice if you simply ask them the right questions. These can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
37) How did you get to the role you\u2019re in today?<\/em>
38) What advice would you have for someone interested in an executive role one day?<\/em>
39) What\u2019s the most challenging aspect of working in an executive role? Why?<\/em>
40) What\u2019s the biggest misconception about being an executive?<\/em>
41) What are the most important skills I should focus on to eventually reach a role like yours?<\/em>
42) What\u2019s the biggest mistake you see someone make who is trying to go from where I am today to an executive role? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nDo you know someone you could introduce me to that could give more advice to me on this long term career goal? (Especially helpful if you want a different C level role than CEO; they probably know some CMOs, CTOs, etc)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
1:1s with your CEO can supercharge your growth. They\u2019re a way to get years worth of experience in hours if you ask the right questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to learn more about how to get CEOs to open up, check out these posts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Questions to Ask Your CEO in Three Different Scenarios<\/a>, including ways to build rapport with them and what to ask in Town Hall meetings<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If you\u2019re considering joining a new company, here\u2019s how you can tell if a CEO is focused on building a healthy company culture<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
\n![\"Questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Grace-Hopper-Show-loyalty-for-everyone-get-lighthouse-blog.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nPart 2: 60 Questions to Ask Your Managers during One on Ones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When you're at the level in an organization where you manage others who also manage teams, your impact is exponential;<\/em> not only do your efforts improve or hurt your team, but it trickles down to their teams as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gallup<\/a> calls this the \"Cascade Effect\":<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Gallup-State-of-the-American-Manager-Cascade-effect.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nUnfortunately, many leaders make the mistake of not checking in regularly with those on their team that are managers. That's a huge mistake.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you can see in the chart, a disengaged manager will cause their team to disengage, too. That can get very expensive fast both in lost productivity and lots of turnover.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/David-Cancel-one-on-ones-really-pay-off-get-lighthouse-blog.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSupport your managers with regular one on ones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Just because someone was promoted does not mean you can give them less support. In fact, they need more<\/strong><\/em> help and guidance from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you abandon your people right when their Task Relevant Maturity<\/a> is at its lowest, you crush their morale, and hurt they and their team's<\/em> ability to succeed. You can do better.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Questions](\"https:\/\/getlighthouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Task-Relevant-Maturity-table-from-High-Output-Management-get-lighthouse.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe best way to help your managers is to keep your regular one on ones<\/a> with them. The questions to ask in one on ones with them may change, but the importance of the meetings does not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If anything, one on ones become more important<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You and your managers' time is precious. Don't waste your one on ones with them on status updates<\/a>. These one on one meeting questions to ask a manager under you can help you get to the root of key issues that can have an out-sized impact for your managers and their teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[Ed Note: If you're looking for questions to ask in one on ones with an individual contributor, these 1 on 1 Meeting Questions Great Managers ask Their Teams<\/a> can help.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- If you\u2019re considering joining a new company, here\u2019s how you can tell if a CEO is focused on building a healthy company culture<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
- And if you need to convert your CEO to believe more in internal promotions, consider this post: Why you should promote from within and how to do it well<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Why everything breaks at 25 employees<\/a>, which is all about the growing pains growing companies go through at that size. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- An option to consider if your company doesn't have many promotions is to look at these ideas: Employee Development: How to grow your employees when you can't promote them<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 25) What are the biggest barriers I still have to [the next promotion, raise, goal you're working towards]?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 16) What skills gaps do you feel I have?<\/em> (Remember: your manager is the person who will have to advocate for your advancement, so their opinion matters a lot.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Some of our best Advice for Managing Up at Work from Experienced Leaders<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 12) What do you recommend I do when I get stuck on [area you're weaker in]? <\/em>(What do they want you to do when you get stuck? Also a great way to get them to coach you) <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 8) What parts of my work are most important for you to be up to date on often? Where do you trust my work and I can be more autonomous?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 3) For Career Advice: <\/strong><\/a>What skills do you think are most important for me to work on right now to help me advance? <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You're using \"and\u201d instead of \"but\u201d<\/strong> which helps build on the conversation instead of making it seem like you're disagreeing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You're building reciprocity<\/strong> by agreeing to their request, then asking for a favor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 1) \"Okay. I understand you have something pressing, and these meetings are important to me. When can we reschedule our 1 on 1 meeting to?\"<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Questions to ask how things are going with their team?<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Questions for managing up<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n