When considering the effectiveness of 1:1’s, it is hard to overstate the importance of consistency. The most effective managers are those who are most diligent about their 1:1’s, and the strongest work relationships in an organisation are between those who meet regularly to sync and align.
For managers, being fanatical about 1:1’s will result in the formation of very successful teams and growth of future leaders. For other work relationships, investing in regular 1:1’s will result in excellent job performance and great peer reviews.
The common reason for managers to skip 1:1’s is that “something has come up”. This can happen, but it should always be followed with a rescheduled 1:1 in the same week. When 1:1’s are constantly skipped or rescheduled without advance notice, FIXME
For managers, there is a very clear message sent to their reports on every occasion a 1:1 is skipped without an immediate replacement scheduled. Some will feel they are unimportant, others will feel their work is not of priority, and many will lose confidence that their managers are giving them appropriate direction and due guidance. For peers, when 1:1’s don’t happen as scheduled, trust in the relationship can deteriorate.
As a rule of thumb, a skip rate of more than 5% is worrying. A skip rate of more than 20% requires an explicit discussion and in the case of a manager/report 1:1, a possible escalation to the manager’s manager is warranted.
The most busy managers almost never skip or reschedule their 1:1’s. They are effective in doing this because they are in complete control of their calendar and are diligent in following through in their commitments.
As a manager, you absolutely need to ensure you never skip your 1:1 commitments. If you find that you are finding it hard to meet your 1:1 commitments, it is a sign that you are overcommitted and need to better manage your time (see the section on Time Management).
I would recommend not scheduling 1:1’s on days that clash with important organisational meetings (eg monthly management meetings) or on days that have very important non-schedulable items, for example being on the oncall duty roster.
Some people take a day out of the week and schedule all their 1:1’s on that day (which risks 1:1’s progressively getting delayed). Others spread out their 1:1’s throughout the week. There is no right or wrong; just find a schedule which works for you. Being consistent is more important.