As defined in an article by Jared Lewis, "In a skip-level meeting, upper-level management bypasses mid-level management to talk directly to non-managerial employees." The manager meets with employees to understand their team members better, build trust in the organization, and get a better sense of the work environment and the challenges facing front-line employees. Skip-level meetings for employees are just as crucial as for managers, and both should be well prepared before the "skip-level meeting." to get employee feedback. Effective skip-level meetings are an effective tool to improve organizational communications, employee engagement, and great one-on-one meetings.
There is considerable evidence that great skip-level meetings (or "skip meetings") have multiple potential benefits. These include everything from helping them make better long-term strategic decisions by better understanding their customers from those who interact with them to improving employee engagement by establishing more personal relationships and quicker resolution times by getting closer to the source. Teams that are more engaged with their managers tend to be higher-performing teams and have a better sense of alignment, focus, and purpose.
You can follow these four concepts to decide what to discuss in a skip-level meeting with an employee.
According to Lewis, "The primary purpose of the skip-level meeting within an organization is to determine the organization's effectiveness -- by getting an honest assessment from employees at all levels." These meetings are crucial for day-to-day operations and allow the upper manager to remove the most significant challenge impacting performance.
Skip-level meetings allow senior managers to talk to employees freely without fear of retribution. Senior leaders can speak directly to their employees instead of through messengers, enabling them to see whether their direct reports are truthful or hiding issues. The one-on-one format allows for collaboration between the senior manager and the individual contributor. It should enable the manager and the employee to feel comfortable and have an open and honest conversation.
The bedrock of skip-level meetings is that employees can speak freely without fear of retribution. If employees fear retaliation, they will not be as open, undermining the whole point of skip-level meetings and the insight they provide. This is especially important if the senior leader hopes to learn about mid-level managers' performance and effectiveness from their direct reports.
Before you start the process, assure your employees that they will be anonymous. Put them at ease so they won't face a backlash if they speak their minds. You can only get the full benefits of skip-level meetings when this occurs.
According to Lewis, "Conducting skip-level meetings requires considerable advanced planning. Since skip-level meetings are effective because they provide upper-level managers with information normally unavailable, planning is essential—and those executives planning a meeting need to establish a specific purpose."
As with any meeting you run, think and plan how your skip-level sessions will go. Remember that you need to ensure total anonymity for each employee involved. You need to provide the skip-level meeting agenda ahead of time to the employees as they may be nervous about meeting with "their direct manager's boss" or "manager's manager," and allowing them the time to prepare would be helpful. Please get in the mindset to be open to all kinds of feedback and take them as positive ways to make your organization more effective; many employees will feel nervous - like they are preparing for an executive team meeting.
Think about the purpose of the skip-level meetings. Is it to determine managerial effectiveness, organizational alignment, organizational issues, etc.? It can't be all the above, so please make sure that you keep some specific questions on the area you are focusing on, but be able to adjust if the team member has something specific that they think is necessary.
Once you know the purpose of the meetings, you can plan and map out your process for effective skip-level meetings. If used properly, these meetings are a significant part of working on a highly productive team, and you never know where innovative ideas will come from.
Keep the whole purpose of skip-level meetings in mind. Lewis says, "Skip-level meetings should not be used as an opportunity to conduct a witch hunt against mid-level managers." With the talent war raging through the economy, having as many touchpoints with your team as possible is more important than ever to attract and retain top talent to win the talent war.
These meetings are for senior leaders to gain a fuller understanding of their organization from a high level. Try to keep risk low for both employees and managers so that they can fully contribute to the process. This is another opportunity for managers to spend time with the organization and hear the issues "from the ground up." Employees should also be ready with skip-level meeting questions to ask their boss or manager. The better prepared both sides are for the conversion, the more effective it will be. Skip meetings can be missing from your employee engagement and team accountability culture. We've compiled a list of the best skip-level meeting questions to share with you so you know what to discuss in skip-level meetings.
At Rhythm Systems, we understand your challenges as leaders of fast-growing companies. Our integrated Business Operating System helps your executive team unlock seamless strategy execution and sustainable growth. With AI-powered software, our Think Plan Do™ methodology, and expert coaching, we ensure your team is focused, aligned, and accountable to strategic goals. Our clients, from dynamic organizations to larger enterprises, have seen 10X faster growth and sustained success. Join them and discover how the Rhythm System can elevate your business and lead to winning execution quarter after quarter.