Level-up Engineering

The Ultimate Skip Level Meeting Guide for Leaders

Dec 9, 2020

Sarah Milstein and Tanisha Barnett, both from Mailchimp, discuss the importance of skip level meetings in engineering leadership. They cover topics like the definition and purpose of skip level meetings, choosing participants, keeping track of content, icebreakers, and advice for new leaders. The podcast also explores the benefits of skip level meetings with interns and the impact on leadership development.

44:33

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Episode guests

Tanisha Barnett

Sarah Milstein

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Skip level one-on-ones help managers understand employees' perspectives and challenges, fostering open communication and improving employee engagement.

Regular skip level one-on-ones build relationships, create a supportive environment for employees to seek guidance, provide feedback, and foster trust and collaboration within teams.

Deep dives

The Value of Skip Level One-on-Ones

Skip level one-on-ones are meetings between managers and employees who report to someone who reports to the manager. These meetings serve to build relationships, provide support, and gain feedback. They help managers understand employees' perspectives and challenges, while also fostering open communication. By holding skip level one-on-ones regularly, managers can better connect with their team members, improve employee engagement, and address any concerns or issues that may arise. It is important for managers to create a safe and open environment, allowing employees to freely express their thoughts and ideas.

Introduction

2min

Skip Level Meetings: Building Relationships and Gathering Feedback

8min

The Benefits of Group Skip Level Meetings and Building Trust in Different Office Dynamics

2min

Different Approaches to Skip Level Chats

8min

Taking Notes and Sharing Agendas

17min

The Impact of Skip Level Meetings with Interns

2min

The Value of Skip Level One-on-One Meetings for Leaders

5min

Panel discussion interview with Sarah Milstein, Sr. Director of Engineering at Mailchimp, and Tanisha Barnett, Director of Engineering at Mailchimp. They get into the details of holding skip level meetings, let them be one-on-ones or group meetings.

Here's everything you'll ever need to know about why you want to have your own skip level meetings, what they look like, what questions to ask, how to break the ice, keep track of them all, and much more. Master skip level meetings to become a great engineering leader yourself!

In this interview we're covering:

Skip level meeting definition
The reason they started doing skip level meetings
Skip level one-on-one meeting and regular one-on-one comparison
Choosing the people to schedule skip level meetings with
Notifying the in-between manager about skip level meetings
Skip level meetings' role at Mailchimp's engineering culture
Keeping track of the content of skip level meetings
Skip level meeting questions
Icebreakers for skip level meetings
Sensitive topics at skip level meetings
Advice for new leaders on skip level meetings
Skip level meeting stories

Excerpt from the interview:

"Even though a key reason for the meeting is to talk about the manager, I don't want to support gossiping. It's a structured meeting that we use for giving feedback, not to talk trash behind people’s backs.

When I get feedback about what employees wish their manager would do, I listen, but I try not to reinforce it in any inappropriate way. I say things like, "That sounds difficult," or "I understand why you want that," while I avoid saying, "Your manager really screwed up." I have to be..."

Click here to read the full interview!

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Level-up Engineering

The Ultimate Skip Level Meeting Guide for Leaders

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Value of Skip Level One-on-Ones

Benefits and Purpose of Skip Level One-on-Ones

Best Practices for Conducting Skip Level One-on-Ones

Creating a Culture of Skip Level One-on-Ones

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts