I Was Promoted 5 Times In 6.5 Years At Linkedin. The Secret To My Success Was This 3-step Meeting Prep Strategy.

This article primitively appeared connected Business Insider.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a reside pinch Jade Bonacolta, a 31-year-old successful Miami who began her occupation astatine LinkedIn and is now nan caput of North American trading astatine Google. Her employment and promotion history personification been verified by Business Insider. The pursuing has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

After graduating from Columbia University successful 2015, I landed a business astatine LinkedIn successful San Francisco.

During nan six-and-a-half years I was astatine LinkedIn earlier joining Google successful 2022, I was promoted 5 times, opening arsenic an subordinate successful nan Business Leadership Program and leaving arsenic nan caput of trading for endeavor technology.

A batch of my promotions came from nan measurement I handled my one-on-one meetings pinch my manager.

Preparing pre-reads for my one-on-ones

Most group spell into one-on-ones taking a overmuch passive approach, expecting their caput to coming to them and show them what to do. But managers often personification teams of 5 aliases overmuch people, truthful having play meetings pinch each of them tin beryllium a batch to juggle.

I noticed that my first caput would mostly inquire maine nan aforesaid things successful each telephone — "How did this week go? What are you moving connected adjacent week and wherever do you petition help?" I knew I wanted to beryllium overmuch proactive and make those meetings overmuch efficient.

I began spending an hr beforehand penning up what I called a "pre-read." I would draught a elemental email pinch 3 sections: what went bully for maine this week, what I'm focusing connected adjacent week, and 1 caller thought aliases absorbing invention to propose for our team.

I would nonstop it to my caput earlier we met and bring my transcript to nan gathering to thief line our conversation.

My caput told maine he recovered nan pre-reads incredibly helpful; they made our conversations acold overmuch productive and helped him consciousness wholly alert of my work. He recovered nan format truthful useful that he asked nan remainder of my squad members to recreation nan strategy for their one-on-ones arsenic well.

3 things that make an effective pre-read earlier a 1:1 meeting

1. What went well

First, I created a "wins" folder, and each clip I had a triumph passim my week, I would adhd it to nan folder.

For example, if, erstwhile moving pinch nan income team, I received an email from 1 of nan leaders saying, "I americium truthful impressed pinch nan questions you asked my squad and nan measurement you provided value," that email would spell consecutive into nan wins folder. I would past propulsion from that files erstwhile making my pre-read email to my manager.

I understood that I could beryllium doing nan champion activity successful nan world, but it didn't matter if nan correct group didn't cognize astir it; if I wanted to beryllium promoted, I needed to beryllium visible.

I'd too prevention each of my wins successful a archive and banal it pinch my caput to make it easier to represent my capacity reappraisal and build a suit for my promotion.

2. What I'm moving on

Managers are often expected to show their labour what they should beryllium moving on. However, it tin too beryllium adjuvant and beneficial if nan labour show proactiveness.

After sharing what I did nan week before, I would past say, "Here's what I deliberation I should activity connected adjacent week." Some of these were ongoing projects, while others were caller initiatives I was introducing.

When it came to projects, I had a beautiful beardown mini bosom connected nan guidance I wanted to return my career, and I made nan promotion I wanted clear to my manager. I asked them, "Are location immoderate projects I could activity connected that fto maine to commencement building those skills?"

I too tried to expect wherever I mightiness petition my manager's help. I'd inquire myself: "What could perchance spell incorrect adjacent week?" and "Which personification do I petition to nexus pinch adjacent week that I mightiness petition an preamble to from my manager?"

This way, I could inquire my questions each astatine erstwhile successful nan gathering alternatively than passim nan week.

I too tried to proactively recreation up pinch solutions, alternatively than conscionable coming problems.

For example, I mightiness opportunity to my manager, "It seems for illustration we personification to get our money successful by this date, truthful is location a measurement that I tin taxable this earlier this week successful bid to make judge that that deadline doesn't sneak up connected us?"

3. One caller idea

In my pre-read, I'd too banal 1 caller idea.

Throughout nan week, I would net attraction to things that my caput recovered frustrating aliases inefficiencies that came up complete nan past week — things that had elemental fixes.

Then, successful my one-on-one meetings, I'd relationship an thought aliases solution to lick those issues. I realized that nan ideas didn't personification to beryllium big. In fact, erstwhile presenting a caller idea, nan cardinal is to make it small, arsenic you don't want to return connected an unhealthy magnitude of activity and symptom out, aliases neglect nan main parts of your job.

Once, my squad and I were doing really awesome work, but nary 1 successful our broader connection knew overmuch astir it. As I wanted to thin overmuch into nan trading world, I asked my manager, "What if we started a very quick, regular newsletter?"

My caput agreed.

I took connected ownership of that newsletter. Every month, I consolidated and sent retired nan newsletter to nan afloat organization, sharing updates connected what our squad was doing. It was simple, and different teams weren't doing it, and I was reaching nan leaders of different teams.

When those leaders would scope backmost retired to my caput astir really nan newsletter was great, my caput would respond: "It was really her idea. I didn't moreover inquire her to do that; she conscionable volunteered to return this on."

Spending an hr to spread was worthy it to springiness my caput visibility

I've repeated this process successful each caller domiciled I've taken and each caller caput I've had astatine Google. My managers personification loved it, and I've received unthinkable feedback whenever I've done it.

Even successful my now senior-level role, my activity squad profoundly appreciates my play position updates and caller ideas for nan team. They dainty maine arsenic a thought partner alternatively than conscionable a nonstop report.

Making nan astir of one-on-one meetings gives your leaders overmuch visibility into each nan activity you're doing.