After reading our article on How to Use Skip-Level Meetings Effectively, get started with these sample emails to inform managers and staff.
For informing managers
Hi ________,
This year, I’ll be doing skip-level meetings with your team members, which means that I’ll be having one-on-one meetings with each of your direct reports a few times throughout the year. I’ll use this time to build relationships and invite them to share insights about our organizational leadership, culture, and strategy. I might also get feedback about you and your management.
These meetings are for me to listen, build connections, and gather information with the ultimate goal to help everyone work more effectively and get better results. I’m going to mostly be in listening mode, which means I won’t be making any decisions, problem-solving, or having conversations with your staff that they should be having with you directly. My goal is to gather information without undermining your management. If there are any patterns, common feedback, or interesting questions that come up that are relevant to you, I’ll share them.
If you have any questions or concerns, let’s talk about it at our next check-in!
Best,
________
For informing staff members
Hi ________,
This year, I’ll be doing skip-level meetings, which means that I’ll be having one-on-one meetings with the direct reports of the managers that I manage. These meetings are a chance for us to get to know each other and for me to hear your perspective on how things are going in the organization. I’m going to be in listening mode for most of this meeting, which means I don’t intend to make any decisions or circumvent your manager in any way.
I’ll be asking for your thoughts and ideas on our organizational leadership, culture, and strategy, and for feedback on your manager. If you have any questions or other ideas to raise, I’ll be happy to discuss them during our meeting.
I look forward to talking with you soon!
Best,
________