3 Tips for A Successful Skip Level Meeting

Your Quantum Leadership Lesson: Organizing a Skip Level Meeting

Have you ever organized or been part of a skip-level meeting? If you want to keep your finger on the pulse, periodically invite a few of your employees to a “Skip Level Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner.”

This means if you are the business owner, you invite some of your front-line employees from different departments to meet with you in a group – without their supervisor.

Here are three tips on organizing and conducting a successful Skip Level Meeting:

1. Purpose & Communication

   before you have a skip level meeting identify the purpose and communicate in the invitation.

   Make it clear to employees this isn’t a bitch session or in any way intended for them to complain about their boss.

   It’s an opportunity for them to let the owner know what can be done better, ask any questions and get the straight scoop on what’s going on inside the company.

2. Include & Encourage

   If you have employees on multiple shifts, make sure you include those employees on the off-shift as well, so they don’t feel like orphans.

   This encourages others to want to participate the next time there’s an opportunity to meet with you for a skip level meeting, because they know that you really care about your team.

3. Review & Improve

   Make notes during the meeting and take appropriate action to improve the workplace based on the input received.

   I recommend reviewing everything with your supervisors afterwards and then posting a summary of the discussion (without identifying the source) so that all employees know the major subjects that came up and what changes are being made as a result of the skip level meeting.

How would a skip level meeting benefit your organization? Leave a comment below.