Skip-Level Meetings

1. Overview

Skip-level meetings are a powerful organizational communication practice where a senior leader meets directly with employees who are two or more levels below them in the organizational hierarchy, without their direct manager present. The core purpose of this pattern is to open a direct and unfiltered channel of communication between senior leadership and frontline employees. This allows leaders to gain a more accurate and timely understanding of the day-to-day realities, challenges, and opportunities within their organization. By bypassing the intermediate management layer, these meetings can surface issues that might otherwise be filtered, distorted, or delayed as they travel up the chain of command. This practice is not intended to undermine the authority of the middle manager, but rather to complement the existing communication channels and provide a more holistic view of the organization’s health.

The primary problem that skip-level meetings solve is the information distortion and isolation that can occur in hierarchical organizations. As companies grow, leaders can become disconnected from the realities of the business and the sentiment of their employees. Information can be intentionally or unintentionally filtered by middle managers who may want to present a positive image or who may not be aware of the full extent of the issues. This can lead to poor decision-making, low morale, and a lack of agility. The concept of skip-level meetings was popularized by many modern management thinkers and has been adopted by numerous successful companies, including Intel and GitLab, as a way to foster a more open and transparent culture. Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel, was a strong advocate for this practice as a way to stay connected to the pulse of the organization.

From a commons-aligned perspective, skip-level meetings can be a valuable tool for fostering a more equitable and participatory organizational culture. By giving a voice to employees at all levels, these meetings can help to distribute power more evenly and ensure that a wider range of perspectives are considered in decision-making. This aligns with the commons principle of subsidiarity, which suggests that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level. Furthermore, by creating a more transparent and trusting environment, skip-level meetings can help to build social capital and strengthen the sense of community within the organization. This can lead to a more resilient and adaptive organization that is better able to navigate the complexities of the modern business landscape.

2. Core Principles

1. Open and Unfiltered Communication: The primary principle is to create a direct line of communication between senior leaders and employees, free from the filtering or potential biases of intermediate management. This ensures that leaders receive honest and candid feedback.
2. Building Trust and Rapport: Skip-level meetings are a tool for building trust and strengthening relationships across different levels of the organization. They demonstrate that leadership values the perspectives of all employees, not just their direct reports.
3. Not for Performance Management: These meetings are not a forum for evaluating the performance of the intermediate manager or the employee. The focus should be on broader organizational issues, team dynamics, and systemic challenges, not individual performance.
4. Psychological Safety: Creating a safe and non-threatening environment is crucial for the success of skip-level meetings. Participants must feel comfortable sharing their honest thoughts and concerns without fear of retribution.
5. Action and Follow-up: To maintain credibility and ensure the continued value of these meetings, leaders must be committed to taking action on the feedback they receive and communicating the outcomes back to the participants.
6. Regular Cadence: Skip-level meetings should be held on a regular and predictable schedule. This helps to normalize the practice and build it into the regular rhythm of the organization.

3. Key Practices

1. Set Clear Objectives and Communicate Purpose: Before initiating skip-level meetings, it is essential to define the goals and communicate them clearly to both the intermediate managers and the participating employees. This helps to manage expectations and reduce anxiety.
2. Prepare and Share an Agenda: A structured agenda helps to guide the conversation and ensure that the meeting stays on track. Sharing the agenda in advance allows participants to come prepared with thoughtful feedback.
3. Create a Comfortable and Informal Atmosphere: The setting of the meeting should be conducive to open and honest conversation. Holding the meeting in a neutral location, such as a conference room or even off-site, can help to create a more relaxed atmosphere.
4. Active and Empathetic Listening: The senior leader should spend the majority of the meeting listening, not talking. It is important to listen with empathy, ask clarifying questions, and avoid the temptation to defend or dismiss concerns.
5. Focus on Open-Ended Questions: To encourage a rich and insightful discussion, leaders should ask open-ended questions that prompt more than just a “yes” or “no” answer. For example, instead of asking “Are you happy with your manager?”, a better question would be “What is it like to work on this team?”
6. Take Notes and Synthesize Key Themes: It is important to take notes during the meeting to capture the key themes and action items. After the meeting, the leader should synthesize the notes to identify patterns and systemic issues.
7. Commit to Confidentiality: Participants need to be assured that their feedback will be treated with confidentiality and that they will not face any negative consequences for speaking openly. However, it is also important to be clear about the limits of confidentiality, especially when issues of a serious or legal nature are raised.
8. Follow Up and Take Action: The credibility of skip-level meetings depends on the leader’s commitment to following up on the issues that are raised. This includes communicating back to the participants about the actions that have been taken and the reasons for any decisions that have been made.

4. Implementation

Implementing skip-level meetings effectively requires a thoughtful and systematic approach. The first step is to gain buy-in from the middle managers who will be “skipped.” It is crucial to communicate the purpose of the meetings clearly and to reassure them that the goal is not to undermine their authority but to gain a broader perspective on the organization. Sharing the agenda and the types of questions that will be asked can help to build trust and allay any fears. Once the managers are on board, the next step is to schedule the meetings. It is important to establish a regular cadence, such as quarterly or bi-annually, to signal that this is an ongoing practice and not a one-time event. The meetings can be conducted in a one-on-one format or in small groups, depending on the size of the team and the goals of the meeting. Small groups can be more efficient and can sometimes generate a richer discussion as participants build on each other’s ideas.

During the meeting itself, the senior leader should focus on creating a safe and open environment. This can be achieved by starting with an informal icebreaker, setting a positive and appreciative tone, and actively listening to what is being said. The leader should guide the conversation using open-ended questions that encourage participants to share their perspectives on a wide range of topics, such as company culture, communication, and opportunities for improvement. It is important to avoid the temptation to solve problems on the spot. Instead, the leader should focus on understanding the issues and gathering as much information as possible. After the meeting, the leader should synthesize the feedback and identify the key themes and action items. It is crucial to follow up with the participants and the intermediate manager to share the high-level themes and to communicate the actions that will be taken. This follow-up is essential for building trust and demonstrating that the feedback has been heard and valued.

For example, a VP of Engineering at a growing tech startup might implement skip-level meetings with the individual contributors on the engineering teams. The VP could hold quarterly group meetings with 5-7 engineers at a time. The agenda might include questions about the development process, the tools and technologies being used, and the overall morale of the team. After the meetings, the VP might identify a recurring theme around the need for better documentation. The VP could then work with the engineering managers to create a plan for improving the documentation and communicate this plan back to the engineers. This would not only address a real problem but also demonstrate the value of the skip-level meetings and encourage continued participation in the future.

5. 7 Pillars Assessment

6. When to Use

• In rapidly growing organizations: When a company is scaling quickly, it is easy for leaders to become disconnected from the day-to-day realities of the business. Skip-level meetings can help to bridge this gap and ensure that the company stays on track.
• When there are signs of low morale or disengagement: If there are indications of problems within a team or department, such as high turnover or low productivity, skip-level meetings can be a valuable tool for diagnosing the root causes.
• During times of significant change or uncertainty: When the organization is going through a merger, acquisition, or other major transition, skip-level meetings can help to keep employees informed and engaged.
• To supplement regular performance reviews: Skip-level meetings can provide a more holistic view of an employee’s experience and can surface issues that may not be captured in a traditional performance review.
• As a regular practice for leadership development: Skip-level meetings can be a valuable tool for developing the leadership skills of senior managers. They provide an opportunity to practice active listening, empathy, and other key leadership competencies.
• To foster a culture of open communication and transparency: If the organization is trying to move towards a more open and transparent culture, skip-level meetings can be a powerful way to signal this change and to build trust between leaders and employees.

7. Anti-Patterns and Gotchas

• Using it as a tool to micromanage or undermine managers: The purpose of skip-level meetings is not to go around managers or to check up on their work. If the meeting is perceived as a threat, it will backfire and create a culture of fear and mistrust.
• Making promises that can’t be kept: It is important to be realistic about what can be achieved as a result of the feedback from skip-level meetings. Overpromising and under-delivering will erode trust and damage the credibility of the practice.
• Failing to follow up: The single biggest mistake that leaders make with skip-level meetings is failing to follow up on the issues that are raised. This sends a clear message that the feedback is not valued and that the meetings are a waste of time.
• Turning it into a gripe session: While it is important to create a space for employees to voice their concerns, the meeting should not be allowed to devolve into a purely negative complaint session. The leader should steer the conversation towards a more constructive and solution-oriented discussion.
• Not preparing for the meeting: Both the leader and the participants should come to the meeting prepared. The leader should have a clear agenda and a set of open-ended questions, and the participants should have given some thought to the topics they want to discuss.
• Violating confidentiality: It is crucial to maintain the confidentiality of the participants. If employees feel that their feedback will be shared with their manager or others in a way that could identify them, they will not be open and honest.

8. References

1. Skip-Level Meeting: Questions And Tips For Employee Feedback

2. [Skip Level Meetings - Overview

   The GitLab Handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/leadership/skip-levels/)

3. Why Senior Managers Should Hold Skip-Level Meetings - SHRM
4. The Art of the Skip Level Meeting
5. How to Use Skip-Level Meetings Effectively