When attending a skip level meeting with employees outside of your direct team, it can be difficult to know what to discuss. However, asking "What are you working on right now?" is a powerful question that can help you gain valuable insights into the work being done in the company at various levels. This question not only fosters open communication and collaboration, but it also helps you build a better understanding of each team member's strengths, weaknesses, and contributions to the larger organization. By asking this question, you may uncover common challenges that can be addressed, potential areas for improvement in workflow and process, and opportunities for greater cross-functional collaboration.
One good question to ask at a skip-level meeting is "What can we do to improve communication and collaboration between our team and other teams in the company?" This question can help identify areas of improvement in cross-functional collaboration and also demonstrate to senior leaders that you are invested in improving the overall effectiveness of the organization. Additionally, it can help identify potential issues before they become bigger problems and ultimately lead to better outcomes for the team and the company.
In a typical organization, the skip level manager is the person likely to have the most influence on where you are promoted to next. Depends on org structure, but while your immediate manager will provide the feedback for your promotion, the skip-level is much more likely to know "where" you will be promoted to. As a result, this manager will be aware of where things are not going well or things are underinvested in the department. Ask the skip level manager about this. Ask about the problems they are having. It will show you are engaged and interested in solving those problems with her.
This question seeks feedback directly from the employees on what they feel is necessary to help them enhance team chemistry and be more valuable to their colleagues and overall company success. Asking it gives you an idea of what can be implemented to make communication more streamlined and enhance teamwork while creating a reliable feedback loop.
I like to ask people to list one metric that we should stop using. As we all know, what gets measured gets managed. The problem is that sometimes we manage based on useless metrics. Many of these worked their way into the system for a good reason in the past. The problem is that they've outlived their usefulness. I've found that employees are happy to point out old metrics that they should no longer be evaluated against.
“Are there any major changes coming in the upcoming quarter?” is one excellent question for a skip level meeting. Skip level meetings are the ideal transparent environment to get straight answers about the future and stay up to date. Asking this question will demonstrate forward thinking and focus on what is ahead too.
Skip-level meetings are a great way to get insight into the day-to-day operations of the company. One question you can ask is “What one thing would you like to see changed in our company culture?” This is a great way to get feedback on how things are going and what can be improved. It also gives employees a chance to voice their opinions and feel heard. As leaders, we’re often so focused on the big picture that we forget the small details that can make or break our company culture. So when you’re at a skip-level meeting and there’s a pause in the conversation, ask this question and see what kind of responses you get. You might hear something as simple as “we need more snacks in the break room”. However, it could also be something more complex like “we need to put a stop to gossiping in the office.” Whatever the response is, it will give you great insight into how your team feels about their work environment, and it will help you take action to make positive changes.
Hi there! I'll give a suggestion from the employee POV. This is a question I asked in one of my skip level meetings a couple of years ago, and the answer I got has made a significant impact on my future career progression. Back then, I worked at a startup, and the skip level meeting was with the CEO of a company. I asked him - is there something about my work that you'd like to know more about that I'm not sharing right now, and how can I make my efforts more visible? Hope you find this answer useful! Have a lovely day!