For your 1:1 meetings you should make a list of the general agenda items or topics you usually talk about (or are likely to talk about).
Then make a note of which category it fulfills:
W = Work and performance related to the job, may need to be directive and give feedback or ask for a change or improvement.
R = Relationship building like support, discussing development and learning and is when you can take a mentoring approach.
Now assess content in terms of:
- Percentage on process (includes talking about tasks e.g. to dos and work done), vs.
- Percentage of managing the relationship
Mentoring conversations focus on spending time on “relationship”
Relationship building leads to trust, goodwill, engagement, motivation, improvement, greater wellbeing and happy, supported, performing apprentices.
Using the apprenticeship framework plan which areas you will use for mentoring and which for performance management.
- Do any cross over?
- How will you decide?
There is no hard and fast rule, but if you are using a mentoring approach then the chances are you can use feedback for both work improvement and performance as well as learning and increasing understanding. Staying on the pull-push continuum can guide you further.