How New Managers Can Host Effective Skip-Level Meetings

What this episode covers

In episode 120 of New Manager Conversations, Lucas and Luna tackle a skill most first-time leaders overlook: the skip-level meeting. Lucas opens with a striking stat from Google's Project Oxygen — that managers who regularly meet with their direct reports' direct reports see 12% higher team retention. They break down exactly how to structure a 25-minute skip-level so it doesn't feel like a surveillance session. Lucas shares the three-question framework he learned from a product VP at HubSpot: 'What should I know about your work?', 'What's one thing the team should stop doing?', 'What do you need from me that you aren't getting?'. Luna counters with a cautionary tale about a junior designer who felt ambushed when her skip-level turned into a performance check disguised as a chat. The episode also covers how often to run these meetings, whether to take notes openly, and how to handle the awkward dynamic when a skip-level reveals a problem with the manager in between. Ends with Lucas suggesting a simple rule: never ask a question in a skip-level that you wouldn't be comfortable asking your own manager in a one-on-one. #SkipLevelMeetings #NewManagers #LeadershipBasics #First90Days #ManagingFormerPeers #CareerAdvice #ProjectOxygen #HubSpot #TeamRetention #OneOnOnes #Feedback #ManagementSkills #Careers #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #NewManagerConversations #LucasAndLuna #ManagementTips Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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