Free kit · People and hiring
One-on-One Meeting and Delegation Kit: free one-on-one agenda and delegation matrix template in Word, Excel and PDF
Lead the people who report to you with two habits: a regular one-on-one where their items come first, and handing over decisions with a standard and a check-in date instead of keeping them. The kit gives each habit its forms, with filled examples, for an executive director and every manager below them.
Word, Excel and PDF · 13 pages · For executive directors and the managers who report to them
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What is inside
- One-on-one agenda. A 30-minute agenda where the person's items come first, five questions that open it up and a filled example.
- Running notes and actions. One page for each person that carries the actions agreed from one meeting to the next.
- Delegation matrix. Your month's work sorted into four tiers, with who takes each item, at what level of authority, to what standard and when to bring it back.
- Handover sheet. One sheet for each responsibility that changes hands: what done well looks like, the limits, when to bring it back and the first check-in.
- First conversation guide. Four questions for a new manager's first conversation with each person, and the expectations both ways.
- Stretch assignment debrief. A stretch assignment set up with its limits and what success looks like, then three questions to debrief it.
How to use it
- First two weeks: track your time in 30-minute blocks as strategic, operational or reactive work; the workbook turns it into shares.
- Book the series: a 30-minute one-on-one with each person, weekly or every two weeks, at the same time (Forms A and B).
- Sort your month: list each task and decision in the delegation matrix (Form C), hand over the third tier and stop the fourth.
- Hand it over: write a handover sheet (Form D) together for each responsibility, starting one level of authority lower than you think.
- New manager: hold the first conversation (Form E) with each person in your first two weeks.
Questions
Is the kit free?
Yes. Enter your name, email and organization once, and every kit in the library opens on this browser.
Can I edit it?
Yes. The Word and Excel files are fully editable: change the agenda times and questions, list your own tasks and hours in the delegation matrix, and set the limits on each handover sheet.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs; the tables and ruled lines carry over.
Can I share it inside my organization?
Yes. Copy it, adapt it and share it with your board and staff.
Read the guide
More kits for executive directors
Staff Performance Review KitGoals for the year, a self-review, a 360 feedback form, an annual review, a meeting guide and an improvement plan with its check-in log
Leadership Development Plan TemplateA two-page plan: three priorities, 70-20-10 activities and monthly check-ins
First 90 Days Workbook for New Executive DirectorsListening tour, stakeholder map, first board chair meeting and a 30/60/90 day plan
With one-on-ones and delegation, the template is rarely where it goes wrong. The conversations are: telling a former peer their work is not yet good enough, and handing over the work you were promoted for, then leaving it alone. A coach helps the manager prepare for them and practice them first.
Six sessions of executive coaching: $300, $400 or $600, set by your organization's yearly operating expenses.
