What to talk about with your skip level manager

Summary

In this episode of the Corporate Etiquette Show, Laura discusses the importance of having monthly one-on-one meetings with your skip-level manager. She debunks myths, emphasizes the benefits for both parties, and offers advice on how to make these meetings productive. Laura suggests discussing broader company priorities, seeking feedback, and identifying opportunities for career progression. She also encourages initiating these meetings and using them to address departmental issues and team morale.

Takeaways

• 😀 It's perfectly acceptable and even recommended to have regular meetings with your skip-level manager.
• 🔍 If your direct manager is against these meetings, it could be a red flag indicating issues within the company or team.
• 🗓 The frequency and length of skip-level meetings will differ from those with your direct manager, typically being less frequent and shorter.
• 🤝 Skip-level meetings are mutually beneficial, providing value to both parties and should not be approached with guilt over taking up time.
• 💡 You should feel empowered to initiate skip-level meetings rather than waiting for your manager to do so.
• 🌟 Focus on discussing larger picture items and company priorities during skip-level meetings, not day-to-day tasks.
• 🔎 Ask probing questions about company decisions and priorities, and how your work aligns with these broader goals.
• 📊 Seek honest feedback on what's going well and what's not within your department or team from your skip-level manager.
• 🔄 Use feedback to improve your visibility and address any misconceptions your leadership may have about your work.
• 📈 Provide feedback to your skip-level manager about team morale and issues affecting the team, giving them a chance to address problems.
• 🛠 Ask for help with your career progression and gain insights into potential future opportunities within the company.
• 🔑 Listen for opportunities during meetings that could lead to a 'quiet promotion' by taking on and resolving pressing issues mentioned by leadership.

Q & A

Why should one have a month-to-one meeting with their skip level manager?

A month-to-one meeting with a skip level manager is beneficial for understanding broader company priorities, discussing career progression, and addressing any large-scale issues that may impact the team or individual performance.

What are some common myths about meeting with a skip level manager?

Some myths include the belief that it's not okay to meet with them or that they are unreachable, and that such meetings should only be initiated by the skip level manager. In reality, these meetings are recommended and can be initiated by the employee.

Why might a line manager be against having a skip level meeting?

If a line manager is against skip level meetings, it could be a red flag indicating issues with their management style or potential problems within the team or company that need attention.

How frequent should skip level meetings be compared to direct line manager meetings?

Skip level meetings should be less frequent than direct line manager meetings due to the larger number of reports a skip level manager may have. They could be half-hour sessions every other week or once a month.

Why is it important to discuss big picture items in skip level meetings?

Discussing big picture items helps align individual and team goals with company priorities, and allows for a deeper understanding of the company's direction and how one's work contributes to it.

What kind of feedback should one seek from their skip level manager during these meetings?

One should seek feedback on what is going well and what is not within the department or team, as well as personal performance and how it fits into larger company priorities.

How can giving feedback to a skip level manager benefit an employee?

Giving feedback allows the skip level manager to be aware of issues that may not be visible from their perspective, enabling them to address problems and improve team morale or processes.

What career-related topics should an employee discuss with their skip level manager?

An employee should discuss their career aspirations, how they fit into the department's future, and any potential changes in job roles or teams that may affect their career progression.

How can an employee use skip level meetings to improve their visibility within the company?

By actively listening for opportunities and addressing problems that the skip level manager identifies, an employee can demonstrate their initiative and capability, enhancing their visibility and promotion potential.

What immediate opportunities might arise from skip level meetings that can benefit an employee's career?

Immediate opportunities could include being assigned to solve a large-scale problem or getting involved in a new project that the skip level manager identifies as a priority but is currently not functioning well.

How should an employee prepare for a skip level meeting to ensure it is useful?

An employee should come prepared with questions about company priorities, their role in those priorities, and any issues or opportunities they wish to discuss, ensuring the meeting is focused and productive.

Outlines

00:00

🤝 The Importance of Skip-Level Meetings

In this paragraph, Laura introduces the topic of skip-level meetings with managers and emphasizes their importance. She dispels myths, stating that it's not only acceptable but encouraged to meet with skip-level managers. Laura advises that if a direct manager is against such meetings, it could be a red flag. She also clarifies that while these meetings may not be as frequent as those with direct managers due to the larger span of control at higher levels, they should still be regular. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to initiate these meetings themselves, highlighting the mutual benefits of such interactions.

05:00

🔎 Gaining Insight and Providing Feedback in Skip-Level Meetings

Laura discusses the value of using skip-level meetings to gain insight into the bigger picture of the company and to understand departmental performance. She suggests asking about company priorities and how one's work aligns with them. Laura also recommends seeking honest feedback on what is going well or poorly within the team and department. The paragraph stresses the importance of this feedback for self-improvement and visibility, and it also touches on the potential benefits of giving feedback to the skip-level manager about team morale and other issues that may not be apparent from their perspective.

10:01

💼 Career Progression and Team Support Through Skip-Level Meetings

This paragraph focuses on leveraging skip-level meetings for personal career progression and team support. Laura advises asking for guidance on how one's aspirations fit into the department's future and seeking advice on navigating career decisions. She also suggests discussing any large-scale problems affecting the team and exploring how the skip-level manager can assist in resolving these issues. The paragraph highlights the opportunity to learn from the manager's career experiences and to identify immediate opportunities for career advancement, such as taking on projects or solving pressing problems that have been highlighted by leadership.

15:03

🚀 Seizing Opportunities for Career Advancement

In the final paragraph, Laura emphasizes the importance of identifying and seizing immediate opportunities for career advancement during skip-level meetings. She suggests actively listening for areas of opportunity that can lead to more interesting projects or solving significant problems, which can bolster one's case for promotion. The paragraph concludes by reiterating the value of these meetings in advancing one's career within a corporation and encourages viewers to take action on the insights gained from their skip-level managers.

Keywords

💡Corporate Etiquette

Corporate etiquette refers to the set of unwritten rules and behaviors that are considered socially acceptable within a professional business environment. In the video, it is the overarching theme that guides the discussion on how to navigate and make sense of the corporate world, particularly through the lens of skip-level meetings.

💡Skip-Level Manager

A skip-level manager is a manager who is at least one level above an employee's direct supervisor in the organizational hierarchy. The video emphasizes the importance of having regular meetings with one's skip-level manager to discuss career progression and broader organizational issues, as they can provide valuable insights and support.

💡Career Progression

Career progression refers to the advancement of an individual's professional career, often through promotions or increased responsibilities. The script discusses how skip-level meetings can be utilized to understand one's role in the organization's future and to identify opportunities for career growth.

💡Feedback

Feedback in this context is the process of providing opinions or suggestions about someone's performance or work. The video script highlights the importance of giving and receiving feedback during skip-level meetings to improve work processes and address issues that impact team morale and performance.

💡Mutual Benefit

Mutual benefit implies that all parties involved in an interaction or relationship gain some form of advantage or value. The video explains that skip-level meetings should be mutually beneficial, with both the employee and the manager gaining insights and information that can help improve their respective roles and the organization as a whole.

💡Organizational Priorities

Organizational priorities are the key goals or objectives that a company focuses on to drive its strategy and operations. The script encourages employees to understand these priorities through skip-level meetings and to assess how their work aligns with and contributes to these broader goals.

💡Line Manager

A line manager is an employee's immediate supervisor in an organization. The video script contrasts meetings with a line manager, which are more frequent and focused on day-to-day operations, with those of skip-level managers, which are less frequent but offer a broader perspective on the organization.

💡Initiate Meeting

Initiating a meeting means to be the one to propose or set up a meeting. The video encourages employees to take the proactive step of initiating skip-level meetings to discuss their career and seek advice, rather than waiting for the manager to initiate contact.

💡Team Morale

Team morale refers to the collective spirit, enthusiasm, and motivation within a team. The script suggests that discussing team morale during skip-level meetings can help identify issues affecting the team's performance and work environment, and can lead to actions that improve overall morale.

💡Career Aspirations

Career aspirations are the ambitions or goals an individual has for their professional future. The video emphasizes the importance of discussing one's career aspirations with a skip-level manager to understand how they can be achieved within the organization and to identify potential paths for advancement.

💡Opportunities

Opportunities in this context refer to potential avenues for advancement or projects that can enhance an individual's career. The script advises employees to listen for and seize immediate opportunities highlighted during skip-level meetings to make a significant impact on their career progression.

Highlights

It's recommended to have a monthly one-on-one meeting with your skip level manager.

Skip level managers are approachable and having regular meetings with them is beneficial.

Line managers should not be against skip level meetings, as it could be a red flag if they are.

Skip level meetings are less frequent than direct line manager meetings due to the broader span of control.

Skip level meetings should be regular but shorter and less frequent than direct reports.

These meetings are mutually beneficial and should not be seen as taking up the manager's time.

Initiating a skip level meeting is encouraged and should not be seen as presumptuous.

Meetings should focus on larger picture items rather than day-to-day tasks.

Ask about company priorities and how they align with your work during these meetings.

Discussing challenges and inconsistencies with company priorities is encouraged.

Skip level meetings are an opportunity to get unscripted feedback on department and team performance.

Use feedback to improve visibility and communication with leadership.

Giving feedback to your skip level manager about team morale and issues is crucial.

Skip level managers need to be aware of issues to address them effectively.

Discussing career progression and aspirations with your skip level manager is valuable.

Ask for help with large-scale problems impacting your team and seek their guidance.

Actively listen for opportunities to get involved in interesting projects or solve significant problems.

Immediate opportunities to contribute should be seized to bolster your career progression.

Transcripts

hello and welcome to another episode of

the corporate etiquette show where we

break down the corporate world so you

can make better sense of it my name is

Laura and in this episode I want to talk

about why you should have a month-to-one

meeting with your skip level manager and

how to make this meeting useful so if

that sounds interesting to you then do

give this video a thumbs up because it

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time I put out a new video so let's jump

right into it first I do want to take a

little bit of time to kind of demystify

this meeting with your skip level

manager and kind of address some of the

myths that I have heard said to me or

circulating around the office at various

points in my career first and foremost

it has to be said that it is totally

okay and is actually recommended to have

a meeting with your skip level manager

they are not God himself never to be

talk to it's totally fine to set up a

recurring meeting where the two of you

can have a chat and I don't honestly

that if your line manager is for some

reason against this meeting whatever

that reason might be to be honest I

think that is a red flag and I think you

should start paying a little bit more

attention to how your job is going and

what your manager is saying and doing in

relation to your job at the company

currently the second thing that I want

to highlight of course is that this

meeting with your skip level manager

cannot be as often as the one with your

direct line manager right if you look at

the organization which tends to be kind

of pyramid shaped obviously if your

manager has let's say four direct

reports it's easy to have an hour a week

with those four people however if you go

one level up your skip level manager

might actually have a total of 16 or 18

reports both direct and then one line

below obviously having an hour or even a

half an hour with all of these people

every week is

challenging to say the least so it will

not be as frequent or perhaps as lengthy

as the meeting that you have with your

direct line manager however it does not

mean that it is not as regular it'll

still be a regular occurrence however

it'll be shorter in length and simply

not as frequent so if you are meeting

your direct line manager let's say every

week for an hour as I recommended in one

of my other videos that I will link up

here then you will probably meet your

skip level manager let's say for a half

an hour every other week not every week

similarly if your skip is very high into

the corporate career and their schedules

are very very busy you might even meet

them just once a month the third thing

that I want to highlight before we get

started is that if done write this

meeting is actually mutually beneficial

so both of you are getting something out

of it that's why you should have it so

don't feel guilty for taking up their

time there is no such thing and I will

guide you through how to make the most

out of this meeting over the course of

this this video and last but not least

number four I do want to say that it is

okay also for you to initiate this

meeting so don't wait around thinking

well you know at one point my skip level

manager is going to want to talk to me

and then I will be ready and prepared no

similar to how I said at point one it is

totally okay to talk to your skip level

manager and you also don't have to wait

for them to initiate this meeting you

can simply drop them a line and say hey

I'd like us to have a regular meeting is

it okay if I put a half an hour in your

calendar every other week or once a

month tell me what frequency would work

for us to sync before we get into how to

make the most out of this skip level

meeting I do want to take the time to

think the two people that voted in my

community poll if you haven't noticed

YouTube has decided to give me a

community tab now so I'll try to make

more polls to get your opinions about

what you would like to see in videos so

keep an eye out for that and again thank

you to the two people that actually

voted I wish I could also give you a

like but I can't but thank you for

voting all right so first and foremost

when you meet your sleep level manager

forget the day-to-day unlike the meeting

with your direct line manager this

meeting is definitely not about giving

them the rundown of what you did the

past two weeks and what you're going to

do the next two weeks I am pretty sure

if they are any sort of good at their

job they have other mechanisms of

figuring out how things are going so

they really don't need to have these

meetings in order to really get those

types of details instead you should

focus this time talking about bigger

picture stuff or even just big picture

stuff for example you should ask about

the company priorities and how did we

get to those priorities why is that what

we choose to focus on as a company

similarly you can ask more challenging

questions such as why perhaps some

actions of the company seem to go at

odds with these stated priorities what

is going on there and what is the

reasoning behind this and if you want to

narrow it down just a little bit more

you should also ask them how does your

work fit into these larger priorities

how are you contributing towards them

ask them about bigger picture things

that are coming up May maybe some things

that are not very visible from where

you're standing but it's very clear to

them from where they are looking at

things the next thing that you should be

doing in these meetings is actually try

to put your finger on the pulse just a

little bit and ask them about what do

they think is going well in the

department and within your team and also

what do they think is going not quite

well within your department within your

team or perhaps even with you

specifically if should they have this

type of feedback if you ask these kinds

of questions I'm prompted you will most

likely get a very honest answer and a

very unscripted answer so it is really

off the top of their head what is going

well and what is not going well within

your department this is a very

interesting thing to note I think it's

not very often that we really get that

unscripted opinion and really find out

what does our leadership think of us how

is my team's work really viewed on top

and once you have this information this

actually puts you in the unique position

to make some decisions and perhaps

dispel some myths that they might I'd

have clarify some wrong assumptions or

maybe figure out that you know what the

frequency or the type of communication

that you have been sending out about

your work is actually not working

because it's really just not reaching

your leadership so you can take this

feedback and consider what can you do to

improve the visibility to prevent these

misunderstandings or wrong assumptions

from forming in the heads of your skip

level managers and above and I can

definitely tell you that you want to do

this because well one if your skip level

doesn't seem to have any sort of idea

about what you are doing or what you are

contributing to similarly what your team

impact is that's not a really good place

to be in in your career people have to

know and appreciate what you are doing

before they can actually support let's

say a promotion and this is

unfortunately true even if the work that

you are doing is important and of a high

quality standard but you're simply not

marketing yourself or your team properly

then it's I'm not going to say that that

all of that hard work is useless because

that's not true but it might be

overlooked and it might not get the

rewards that it actually merits simply

because people are not aware of it so

the key takeaway from here is that you

need to figure out from your skip level

if you are marketing yourself well

enough and if you are marketing your

team well enough and if you're not then

what actions can you take in order to

remedy this next just as you have asked

them for feedback you can also give them

some feedback and I do want to stress

that I know I know that this is a very

daunting task to actually give somebody

feedback face to face Maybe somewhat

more unscripted and in a more informal

way than let's say in the annual reviews

where you actually have to write

something down but I cannot stress this

enough you giving them feedback is

actually one of the key components that

make this meeting mutually beneficial

they need to get feedback from you about

the things that are not going well and

one of the best examples that I can find

here is actually that of when the

company morale or the team morale is

actually very low and I can assure you

that if you have a reasonably good skip

level they will be very very interested

in knowing that the team morale is low

and figuring out what is the root cause

and how they can address it of course

you do always run the chance that you

might have also a toxic skip level

manager which you know is very

unfortunate but that is beyond what we

can control so I suggest that we don't

really focus on that still I do want to

make the point that your skip level

manager cannot fix what they are not

aware of so give them an opportunity to

fix these wrong perceptions to fix some

wrong processes or or to come in and

help your team with their vote with

their endorsement with their support to

make sure that leadership decisions are

properly communicated and understood and

people are on board with them give them

an opportunity to fix what is wrong and

I know that sometimes we assume well you

know thermostat level manager of course

they know what's going on isn't that why

they're their manager right I I know

that this is a very tempting mindset to

have however let's also just admit that

well

unless you're working for a robot your

skip level manager is probably also

human and they have their own

limitations so let's give people the

opportunity to fix what is wrong before

we jump to conclusions that they simply

don't care and on the flip side of

course you should give them feedback

about things that don't work or that are

bothering the team or that are causing

low morale but you can also give them

feedback about what is working well what

do you like about your department what

do you think is making you happy to come

to work every day for example if you

like the learning opportunities that are

offered at the company make sure to

mention this so that they understand

that this is an important factor in your

decision to continue working at this

company perhaps you like how team events

are organized or maybe you like the fact

that you can go to conferences and get

to enhance your knowledge by talking to

other professionals from your domain

make a point to mention the things that

keep you motivating the things that they

are doing well or the things that the

company is doing well so that in the

back of your manager's head there can

always be a checklist of things that

should definitely be continued so if

there is a budget discussion and

somebody suggests that they cut the

learning opportunities they can actually

have some arguments to say no we should

try to keep those learning opportunities

because you know what this is what my

people tell me makes them happy the next

thing that I think you should consider

doing in your skip level meeting is

actually do ask for their help and I'm

going to split this section actually

into two because you can ask them help

for yourself but you can also ask help

for your team so let's break this down

when you are asking help for yourself

I'm specifically talking about asking

help with your career progression talk

about your aspirations and ask how they

actually fit into the larger scale of

the department or the future of the team

or the future of the department how do

they see this role playing out in the

organization in the years to come and

you should also especially be doing this

if you are in a position where you are

considering either changing your job

within the same company or perhaps even

leaving the company if you are still

trying to decide what is best for you

this information from your skip level

manager can actually give you some sense

of what the future holds should you

choose to stay are there any exciting

new projects coming up that you would be

part of automatically or perhaps you can

transition to or actually do you see a

point in the future where your team

might actually be disbanded and of

course you can also see what the plans

for the other teams in your department

are and try to figure out again how does

your team fit into those future plans or

perhaps how do they not fit in at all

and another thing that might help

especially assuming that your skip level

manager is of the same craft as you is

actually to ask them what their career

progression look like of course I do

feel like I should have a disclaimer

here namely that I don't index a lot on

these discussions however it can be

interesting to understand what are the

decisions that they made and how they

got in the position that they are in now

and probably the things you are most

looking to get is number one what are

the best decisions that they ever made

for their career and number two what are

some of the decisions that they really

really regret regarding their career and

if they could go back in time they would

either do something else or not do that

thing at all again it doesn't

necessarily mean that you will ever face

the same decisions as they did just

because you are in the same domain as

them however it is interesting to have

this in the back of your head to

potentially avoid making bad decisions

in the future should you encounter

something at least remotely similar

secondly when you are asking for help

from your skip level manager you should

also ask for help about large-scale

problems that impact you for example if

you see that your department or your

team always has a really tough time a

really tough working relationship with

another department there is always

friction or there is a really broken

process these are the kinds of things

that you should be bringing to your skip

levels attention for example you can

mention that you know there seems to be

be a larger scale misalignment going on

and this is really impacting your team

and then try to understand from your

skip level manager how are these

alignments done can you be invited when

these things are decided when will this

alignment take place who will be on the

invite list and again is your skip level

even aware that you are having these

types of issues in your team try to ask

for help and also understand what could

they do or what could they task you to

do in order to try to smooth things out

and really improve the day-to-day work

that you are doing last but most

definitely not least I do want to say

that there is another thing that you can

do in your skip level meeting that will

really just make this super super super

useful meeting to have and namely you

should be taking the opportunity when

you are discussing with your skip level

manager you should be actively listening

for what areas of opportunities are

being highlighted to you and can you

jump on any of them in order to get

assigned to a more interesting project

do be assigned to solve a large-scale

problem and so on of course this

contrast to what I was telling you

before to figure out what the future

opportunities are and you still should

do that but there might also be

immediate opportunities that you can

take advantage of in order to progress

your career given the nature of large

corporations and the corporate world It

generally has a bit of lag when we talk

about the future right the future is you

know ideally six months away but it

could also be like one two three four

years away so if you're really just

waiting for the future opportunity

that's a really long time to not do

anything for your career so we really

want to look at what are some more

immediate opportunities that we can jump

on so for example anything that your

skip level is complaining that is a

problem try to assess is this something

that I can involve myself in and try to

fix and drive to completion and that'll

be a really really good opportunity for

you to get noticed in the video on quiet

quitting which I will link also up here

I think I really mentioned and I hope

that I drove it home the point that

there is no actual promotion without a

quiet promotion happening first and when

I say a quiet promotion by that I mean

you know you do things beyond your scope

and then you know the actual promotion

in title and money actually follow and

in terms of identifying opportunities to

actually make that promotion case for

yourself well is there really any better

opportunity than something that your

leadership is complaining is not working

well you already know that this problem

not only has scope but it also has

immediate visibility because it's off

the top of their head they're telling

you that this is not working and it is

bothering them getting involved and

contributing or even fixing by yourself

this type of a problem will really take

your promotion case from it might happen

to we need to make this happen because

we need to keep this person happy and

ultimately that is the kind of

opportunity that you really looking for

constantly in your career that is it for

today thank you very much if you have

stuck around so far if you haven't

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good one

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