Skip Level Meeting Agendas & Example Templates

Skip-level meetings are sessions where upper management meets directly with employees skipping over the usual managerial hierarchy​. They help leaders build trust, get unfiltered feedback, and improve communication across levels.

These meetings can boost engagement and alignment – teams that are more engaged with their managers tend to be higher-performing and more focused on common goals​.

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To be effective, each skip-level meeting should have a clear purpose (e.g. focus on a specific topic like morale, strategy, or career development) rather than trying to cover everything at once​

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The agenda templates below each center on a different scenario, with key discussion points, time allocations for each item to keep the meeting on track​, and defined objectives.

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Employee Feedback and Engagement Agenda

This agenda is used to gather an employee’s honest feedback about their work experience and engagement levels, and strengthen a culture of open communication​.

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1. Introduction & Meeting Purpose (5 min) – Welcome the employee, explain the goal is to hear their feedback and ideas. Set a positive, safe tone so they feel comfortable sharing (reinforce that open feedback is valued and won’t lead to negative repercussions).

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2. Employee Experience Feedback (15 min) – Invite the employee to describe their current job satisfaction, motivation, and any concerns. Listen actively as they share what’s going well and what could be improved in their day-to-day work.

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3. Engagement Drivers & Challenges (10 min) – Discuss factors that help them stay engaged (e.g. interesting projects, recognition) and any obstacles hindering engagement (e.g. unclear expectations, workload issues). This identifies what the company is doing right and what issues need addressing.

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4. Suggestions for Improvement (10 min) – Brainstorm ideas with the employee to improve engagement and workplace morale. Encourage their suggestions on team activities, communication improvements, or changes in processes that could make them feel more connected and valued.

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5. Wrap-Up & Next Steps (5 min) – Summarize the key feedback points and thank the employee for their honesty. Clarify any action items (e.g. leadership will follow up on a specific concern) and reiterate that their input helps foster a culture of open communication​.
   
   

By the end of this meeting, the leader should have a clear understanding of the employee’s engagement level and concrete ideas or actions to maintain/improve it.

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Leadership Alignment Agenda

Use this to ensure leadership’s vision and your team’s understanding are aligned, and address any disconnect between upper management and your team.

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1. Introduction & Purpose (5 min) – Explain that the meeting is to check alignment between the company’s leadership direction and the team’s day-to-day. Establish an open atmosphere so the employee can speak candidly about alignment issues.

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2. Company Vision & Goals Discussion (10 min) – Briefly reiterate the overarching company vision/strategic goals. Ask the employee how well they understand these big-picture goals and how their team’s work connects to them. Clarify any areas of confusion about strategy or priorities.

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3. Feedback on Leadership Communication (10 min) – Invite the employee’s perspective on how effectively leadership (including their direct managers) communicates goals and expectations. Do they feel informed about decisions and changes? Identify any gaps where messages aren’t trickling down or are misunderstood.

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4. Alignment Challenges (10 min) – Ask if there are any obstacles preventing the team from fully aligning with leadership’s expectations (e.g. conflicting priorities, resource constraints, unclear instructions). Collaboratively explore solutions or what could be done to improve alignment in these areas.

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5. Leadership Support Needed (5 min) – Probe what additional support or guidance the employee thinks the team needs from leadership. This could be more frequent updates, clearer goal-setting, or involvement from leaders in removing roadblocks.

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6. Wrap-Up (5 min) – Recap any misalignment issues discovered and the ideas discussed to fix them. Thank the employee for sharing insights. Outline any follow-up actions (such as leadership providing clarifications or new resources) to ensure everyone is on the same page moving forward.

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The goal here is to align your team’s efforts with leadership’s vision by uncovering communication gaps or misaligned understandings and planning steps to bridge them.

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Business Strategy and Goals Agenda

This agenda can be used to connect your employee’s work with the broader business strategy and gather ground-level input on company goals.

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1. Introduction (5 min) – Set the context that the discussion will center on the company’s strategic objectives and how the employee’s work contributes. Emphasize that you want their honest thoughts on the strategy and goals.

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2. Strategy Overview (5 min) – Provide a brief refresher of the key business strategy points or any recent updates (for context). Ensure the employee is aware of the high-level goals the organization is pursuing.

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3. Employee’s Understanding of Goals (10 min) – Ask the employee to describe the company’s or department’s goals in their own words. Can they see how their role and the team’s work tie into these goals? Note any misunderstandings or uncertainties and clarify them on the spot.

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4. Feedback on Execution & Challenges (10 min) – Discuss any challenges the employee sees in meeting these goals. Are there resource limitations, process issues, or external factors that make the goals difficult to achieve from their perspective? This is an opportunity for the employee to voice concerns about execution.

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5. Ideas to Achieve Targets (10 min) – Encourage the employee to share suggestions for how the team or company could better meet its strategic targets. They might propose process improvements, new initiatives, or changes in priority that could help achieve the goals more effectively.

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6. Wrap-Up & Clarifications (5 min) – Summarize the employee’s feedback on the strategy and any ideas they offered. Address any remaining misconceptions about business goals. Thank them for their input and ensure them their perspective will be considered in strategic planning. Outline any next steps (e.g. conveying their suggestions to relevant leaders).

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The overall objective here is to enhance employees’ understanding of company strategy and obtain their insights on improving goal achievement, ensuring that frontline perspectives inform strategic execution.

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Career Development and Growth Agenda

Use this type of agenda to discuss an employee’s career aspirations and development within the company, providing guidance and identifying growth opportunities.

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1. Introduction (5 min) – Explain that this meeting is dedicated to the employee’s career growth and development. Establish a supportive tone and encourage the employee to openly discuss their professional goals.

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2. Career Aspirations (10 min) – Ask the employee about their short-term and long-term career goals. What position or skills are they aspiring to in the next 1, 3, or 5 years? Listen to their ambitions and take note of where they see their career heading.

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3. Strengths & Areas for Growth (10 min) – Discuss the employee’s self-identified strengths and areas they'd like to improve. Offer your observations as a leader (if relevant) on what they excel at and where they could develop further. This helps pinpoint development needs.

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4. Opportunities for Development (10 min) – Explore possible opportunities to help the employee grow. This can include training programs, certifications, stretch assignments, mentoring relationships, or increased responsibilities that align with their career goals.

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5. Leadership Guidance (5 min) – As a senior leader, share any advice or personal experience that could benefit the employee’s development. Provide feedback on their career plan and suggest next steps (for example, recommend a mentor or a specific skill to build) based on what you’ve discussed.

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6. Action Plan & Closing (5 min) – Recap the development actions agreed upon – for instance, attending a workshop, setting up a meeting with a mentor, or working with their direct manager on a growth plan. Ensure the employee knows the next steps and express your support. Close by thanking them for discussing their goals and reaffirm the company’s commitment to their growth.

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Keep in mind, this should be used to create a clear development plan that aligns an employee’s career goals with opportunities the organization can provide, and demonstrate leadership’s investment in the employee’s growth.

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Team Performance and Morale Agenda

The focus here is to assess your team’s overall performance and morale from the employee’s viewpoint, and find ways to maintain high morale and address performance barriers.

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1. Introduction (5 min) – Open the conversation by stating you want to discuss how the team is doing and how team members feel. Encourage honesty so you can get an accurate read on team morale and performance factors.

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2. Celebrate Team Successes (5 min) – Ask the employee about recent wins or accomplishments by the team. Acknowledge and praise these successes to boost team morale​. (Recognizing achievements helps the team feel valued and motivated.)

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3. Discuss Challenges (10 min) – Invite the employee to share any concerns or challenges the team is facing that might hinder performance​. This could include workload issues, skill gaps, process inefficiencies, or interpersonal conflicts. Make note of recurring themes that need attention.

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4. Morale Check-In (10 min) – Gauge the team’s morale directly: How is the team spirit? Are people generally stressed or upbeat? Are there any factors (e.g. recent changes, overtime, unclear direction) affecting the mood or energy of the team? Understanding these will help address any morale issues.

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5. Support and Resources (10 min) – Ask what support the team might need from leadership to improve or maintain performance. This could be additional resources, better tools, more guidance, or even team-building activities. Brainstorm with the employee on what could help the team work more effectively and happily.

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6. Action Items & Wrap-Up (5 min) – Summarize the key points: both the positive highlights and the challenges discussed. Outline any actions you’ll take (or encourage the direct manager to take) to address issues – for example, looking into a process fix or scheduling a team morale event. Thank the employee for their insights and reinforce that their feedback will help the team succeed.

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Using this agenda, you can expect to identify factors affecting your team’s performance and morale and come away with concrete steps to celebrate successes and tackle any issues, thereby driving engagement and high performance.

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Innovation and Process Improvements Agenda

This agenda can be used to solicit your employee’s ideas for innovation and ways to improve processes, demonstrating that leadership is open to ground-up improvements.

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1. Introduction (5 min) – Explain that the purpose is to brainstorm improvements and innovative ideas. Encourage the employee to think creatively and assure them that no idea is too small or too bold – you never know where the next innovative idea will come from​.
   
   
2. Identify Pain Points (10 min) – Ask the employee about any pain points or inefficiencies in their day-to-day work or team processes. Are there tasks that take too long, tools that don’t work well, or frustrating bottlenecks? Identifying these areas can highlight opportunities for innovation or improvement.

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3. Brainstorm Ideas (15 min) – Discuss possible solutions or new approaches for the pain points mentioned. Encourage the employee to share any ideas they have for doing things better. This could range from adopting a new tool, changing a workflow, or completely new product/service ideas. Generate as many ideas as possible in this time without immediately judging feasibility.

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4. Evaluate and Discuss Feasibility (10 min) – Review the brainstormed ideas together. Which ones seem most promising? Discuss what would be required to implement these ideas (resources, approvals, further research) and any potential obstacles. This helps refine the suggestions into realistic proposals.

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5. Next Steps & Recognition (5 min) – Identify any immediate next steps for the best ideas (for example, the employee could draft a proposal, or you will bring the idea to another team for consideration). Recognize the employee’s contributions and thank them for their creative thinking. Emphasize that their willingness to share ideas is valued and can lead to positive changes.

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This should help you generate actionable ideas to improve your business or team processes, and show employees that leadership values their creativity and initiative in driving innovation.

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Cross-Functional Collaboration Agenda

Use this to discuss how your team collaborates with other departments and find ways to improve cross-functional teamwork.

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1. Introduction (5 min) – State that you’d like to talk about the employee’s experience working with other teams or departments. Emphasize that open discussion will help improve cross-functional collaboration across the organization.

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2. Collaboration Successes (5 min) – Start on a positive note: ask for examples of successful cross-team collaborations the employee or their team has been involved in. What went well, and what made those experiences successful? Highlighting these can reveal best practices to replicate.

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3. Collaboration Challenges (10 min) – Discuss any difficulties the employee has encountered when working with other departments. Are there communication breakdowns, misaligned goals, delays, or conflicts between teams? Understanding these challenges will point to where improvement is needed.

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4. Brainstorm Improvements (15 min) – Invite ideas on how to improve collaboration. This could include better communication channels (like regular inter-team check-ins), clearer roles and responsibilities on joint projects, or tools for sharing information. Encourage the employee to suggest changes that would help teams work together more smoothly.

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5. Support Needed from Leadership (5 min) – Ask if there’s anything leadership can do to facilitate better cross-functional work. For example, leadership could set shared goals, recognize collaborative efforts, or provide resources (like an collaboration tool or cross-training opportunities) that help teams cooperate.

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6. Wrap-Up (5 min) – Recap the main collaboration issues and the improvement ideas discussed. Acknowledge any action items, such as raising a particular inter-team issue with other leaders or scheduling a cross-department workshop. Thank the employee for their insights and reinforce the importance of teamwork across the organization.

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The objective with this agenda is to gain insight into how well departments are working together and identify practical steps to remove collaboration roadblocks, fostering a more integrated and cooperative workplace.

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Organizational Culture and Values Agenda

Gauge the health of your company’s culture and how well its values are practiced, through the eyes of the employee.

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1. Introduction (5 min) – Explain that this meeting is a forum to discuss the organization’s culture and values. Encourage open and honest dialogue to foster trust and transparency​ – the goal is to understand the employee’s perspective on the workplace culture.

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2. Employee’s Perspective on Culture (10 min) – Ask the employee to describe the company culture in their own words. How does it feel to work here? Do they feel the environment is respectful, inclusive, and aligned with stated company values? Listen for positive descriptors as well as any negative sentiments.

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3. Values in Action (10 min) – Choose one or two of the company’s core values and ask how the team or company demonstrates those values in daily work. Discuss whether there have been situations that reflect those values strongly or instances where the company fell short. This will highlight gaps between aspirational values and reality.

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4. Concerns and Suggestions (10 min) – Invite the employee to share any concerns related to culture (e.g. silo mentality, lack of recognition, work-life balance issues, communication problems). Also ask for suggestions: What could leadership or the team do to strengthen the culture or better live up to the company values?

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5. Role of Leadership (5 min) – Discuss how leadership behavior affects culture. Ask if there’s anything leaders could do differently to reinforce positive culture (for example, more transparent communication, more frequent kudos, addressing toxic behavior quickly). This gives insight into leadership improvements from the employee’s view.

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6. Closing (5 min) – Thank the employee for their candor in discussing sensitive cultural topics. Summarize any key takeaways – both good aspects of the culture to continue and issues to address. Reaffirm leadership’s commitment to maintaining a healthy, values-driven culture and mention any follow-up (like raising an issue with HR or leadership team).

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Again, the goal here is to understand an employee’s view of the company culture and values in action, and gather ideas to ensure the workplace remains aligned with its core values and is a positive environment.

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Conflict Resolution Agenda

This can be used to provide a safe environment for an employee to bring up any conflicts or issues and collaboratively explore resolutions.

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1. Introduction & Safe Space (5 min) – Set a confidential, trusting tone for the meeting. Clarify that the purpose is to discuss any workplace conflicts or serious concerns and that the conversation is confidential. Emphasize that the employee can speak freely without fear of retribution​ (the goal is to solve problems, not assign blame).

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2. Employee Shares Issues (10 min) – Invite the employee to describe the conflict or issue in detail. This might be a conflict with a colleague, a problem with a process, or any situation causing frustration. Listen without interrupting, and take notes on key points.

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3. Understand Context (10 min) – Ask clarifying questions to fully understand the background and context of the issue. How long has this been going on? Who is involved? What attempts have been made to resolve it already? Ensure you have a complete picture from the employee’s perspective.

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4. Brainstorm Solutions (10 min) – Work with the employee to consider possible solutions or next steps. What outcome would they like to see? Discuss various approaches to resolve the conflict (for example, mediated conversation with the other party, adjusting roles or responsibilities, involving HR if necessary). Empower the employee to suggest ideas, showing that their viewpoint is crucial to the resolution.

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5. Agree on Action Plan (5 min) – Decide on the immediate next steps to address the issue. This might include the leader taking action (e.g. speaking to another manager, arranging mediation) or the employee taking action with support. Be clear on who will do what and the expected timeline.

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6. Conclusion (5 min) – Conclude by thanking the employee for bringing the issue to your attention. Reiterate the plan to address it and express confidence that, working together, the conflict can be resolved. Encourage the employee to keep open communication about any future concerns.

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Use this to bring conflicts to light in a non-threatening setting, then collaboratively develop a plan to resolve the issue, ensuring the employee feels heard and supported by leadership throughout the process.

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Open Q&A Session Agenda

Give the employee (or a group of skip-level employees) an open floor to ask leadership any questions, promoting transparency and trust.

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1. Introduction (5 min) – Set the stage for an open Q&A. Explain that the meeting is an informal session for them to ask you (the leader) any questions on their mind. Encourage honest questions and state that you’ll do your best to answer everything openly. This helps establish a trusting environment right from the start.

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2. Leader’s Update (Optional) (5 min) – It can be helpful to begin with a brief update on relevant topics (e.g. recent business developments, upcoming changes, or a quick personal introduction if you haven’t met the group). Keep it short – the goal is simply to spark thinking and give context, not to dominate the session.

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3. Open Q&A (30 min) – Open the floor for questions. Let the employee(s) lead the conversation with their questions or concerns. Be transparent and clear in your answers. If a question can’t be answered fully (due to confidentiality or uncertainty), explain why. Ensure a variety of topics are touched on, and that every participant who wants to ask something gets a chance.

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4. Key Takeaways (5 min) – After the Q&A, briefly summarize any critical points discussed or common themes in the questions. Clarify any important information that came up to avoid misunderstandings (for example, reiterating a company policy that was asked about or correcting any rumors that surfaced). This ensures everyone leaves with the same understanding.

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5. Closing (5 min) – Thank the employee(s) for their questions and engagement. Encourage them to continue reaching out through other channels if they think of more questions or feedback. End on an appreciative note, reinforcing that leadership values open dialogue and that no topic is off-limits when it comes to questions.

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With this agenda, you can increase transparency and trust by answering employees’ questions candidly, and demonstrate that leadership is approachable and receptive to any concerns or curiosities employees have.

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Supporting Templates for Skip-Level Meetings

In addition to the agendas, it’s important to have documents to capture outcomes and feedback from skip-level meetings. Effective skip-level meetings should document key discussion points, decisions, and action items for follow-up​.

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Below are templates for follow-up notes, tracking action items, and gathering attendee feedback.

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Follow-Up Meeting Notes Template

Use this template to record what was discussed in the skip-level meeting and any outcomes or decisions. It ensures nothing is lost and can be shared (as appropriate) with relevant stakeholders after the meeting.

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• Meeting Title/Purpose: Skip-Level Meeting – [Employee Name] and [Leader Name] (e.g., “Skip-Level – Feedback & Engagement with Jane Doe”)
• Date & Time: [MM/DD/YYYY, HH:MM]
• Attendees: [List of people present]
• Key Discussion Points:
  
  • Point 1: [Summary of discussion or issue raised]
  • Point 2: [Summary of discussion or issue raised]
  • Etc.
• Decisions Made:
  
  • Decision 1: [Describe any decision or agreement reached]
  • Decision 2: [Describe any decision or agreement reached]
  • Etc.
• Action Items:
  
  • Action 1: [Task to be done – who will do it and by when]
  • Action 2: [Task to be done – who will do it and by when]
  • Etc.
• Next Steps/Follow-Up: [Outline any next steps, such as scheduling a follow-up meeting or checking back on an issue in a few weeks]
• Additional Notes: [Any other observations or comments]

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Action Items Tracking Template

After a skip-level meeting (or series of meetings), it’s useful to track the status of action items that came out of those conversations. The following table format can be used to keep a running list of action items, owners, and due dates to ensure follow-through on commitments:

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Maintain this log for all action items resulting from skip-level meetings. Review it regularly to update statuses and ensure accountability. This helps leaders show that employees’ feedback and ideas are being acted upon​.

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Attendee Feedback Form Template

Collect feedback from employees after a skip-level meeting to understand their perspective on the meeting’s effectiveness and to improve future sessions. You can use an anonymous form if you want more candid responses.

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Attendee Feedback Form – Skip-Level Meeting

• Employee Name: [Optional – can be left blank for anonymous feedback]
• Department/Team: [______________]
• Meeting Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]

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Please rate the following statements about the meeting (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree):

• I felt comfortable speaking openly during the meeting. [1 2 3 4 5]
• I believe the skip-level leader listened to my feedback and concerns. [1 2 3 4 5]
• The meeting was productive and worth the time spent. [1 2 3 4 5]

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Open-Ended Questions:

• What was the most valuable aspect of this meeting for you?
  [Employee’s answer]
• What could be improved for future skip-level meetings?
  [Employee’s answer]
• Additional comments or suggestions:
  [Employee’s answer]

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