Alloy Solutions Leadership Blog

It’s that time again. Another week means another meeting. A chime sounds and a calendar reminder appears on your desktop to herald the arrival of this corporate ritual, the familiar thought creeps into your mind: “Here we go, it’s time for my one-on-one.”

“Wait,” you think, “what are we going to talk about?” As the meeting draws closer, you think back on the week that was. “What did we even talk about last time? Was I supposed to prepare something?” With a few minutes to spare, you pull a pen and a notepad from a stack on your desk and scribble a couple of quick thoughts. “I’ll think of something,” you reassure yourself as you gather yourself to head for the familiar conference room (or, just as likely, start to click around to find the virtual meeting link). “Maybe we’ll even end early.”

An Epidemic of Bad 1:1s

When was the last time you had an incredible one-on-one meeting? Not just an average meeting; a truly excellent experience - for both parties - that added to the relationshi...

Making a Business Case for Empathy, by Ryan Hansen

Breaking News: Work sucks.

Okay, so maybe that's not exactly breaking news, and allow me to apologize for starting off on such a cheeky note. The truth is, this is a tough time for employees and employers alike. But, of course, you already know this. You've seen the headlines. Layoffs abound. Quiet Quitting. The Great Resignation.

We can unpack the causes behind each of these at another time, but the effects have been unmistakable. Employees are stressed out, and with good reason. Inflation has reduced the value of their paycheck, and childcare is harder to find than ever before. Layoffs and turnover have stripped teams of years' worth of institutional knowledge and left fewer, newer hands to do the same amount of work. In some cases, the work has even increased. Scope creep, or "quiet hiring," is becoming more and more common as managers ask their top employees to fill gaps by taking on more responsibilities without any change to t...