# How New Managers Can Host Effective Skip-Level Meetings

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-manager-conversations-with-fexingo-first-90-days-managing-former-peers-and-leadership-basics-7871636/how-new-managers-can-host-effective-skip-level-meetings
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-manager-conversations-with-fexingo-first-90-days-managing-former-peers-and-leadership-basics-7871636/how-new-managers-can-host-effective-skip-level-meetings.md
Podcast: [New Manager Conversations with Fexingo: First 90 Days, Managing Former Peers, and Leadership Basics](https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-manager-conversations-with-fexingo-first-90-days-managing-former-peers-and-leadership-basics-7871636)
Published: 2026-07-17T17:07:19+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/new-manager-conversations/episode-0120.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/new-manager-conversations/episode-0120.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-manager-conversations-with-fexingo-first-90-days-managing-former-peers-and-leadership-basics-7871636/episodes/how-new-managers-can-host-effective-skip-level-meetings
Duration seconds: 498

## Resource

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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