This article walks you through how to invite managers to Kona. Kona by 15Five is an AI-powered coaching assistant that helps managers grow in real time by observing 1-on-1 meetings, generating insights, and delivering personalized coaching tips—without adding extra work.
In this article, you will learn...
Access and availability
⛔️ Required access to Kona and the HR Outcomes Dashboard.
👥 This article is relevant to HR Admins and Account Admins.
📦 Kona is available as an add-on for companies on our Total Platform pricing package.
Note
There are two ways to invite managers to Kona: 1) individually from within their Account Settings (covered in this article) or 2) as part of creating a Manager Effectiveness Action Plan. Both methods allow you to give managers targeted support based on their development needs.
How to Invite Managers to Kona 🐾
Use the steps below to invite a manager to Kona from within their Account Settings.
Tip
You also have the option to invite managers to Kona one-off or in bulk during the process of creating a Manager Effectiveness Action Plan. Learn how →
- Click People in your main, left-hand navigation.
- You'll land on the 'Manage people' page. From here, use the filters or search bar at the top of the page to search for the person whose settings you want to edit.
- Click a person's name to open their account settings page.
- Scroll down to the "AI Coach Access" section, located towards the bottom of the page. Then, select "Enable."
Note
If your organization doesn't have any available seats, click the Manage seats link to add more.
- Next, select the Focus Area you want Kona to focus on as it analyzes manager behavior in 1-on-1 meetings.
- When you're done, Save your changes.
What Happens Next? ➡️
Managers assigned Kona will receive a Slack and email notification prompting them to begin the onboarding process.
During onboarding, they'll be prompted to:
- Connect their Google Calendar
- Select which recurring 1-on-1 meetings to sync, and
- Confirm their 15Five 1-on-1s or link them to your synced calendar events.
Once onboarding is complete, Kona will start joining their selected meetings automatically and begin delivering value directly in their flow of work. It's as simple as that!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ❓
When assigning or updating focus areas, you can select one of the following areas:
- Manager 101: The foundational skills and mindset required for new and first-time managers to lead effectively—covering core practices like setting expectations, giving feedback, supporting growth, and navigating team dynamics with clarity, consistency, and confidence.
- Goals, Expectations, Alignment: The process of defining clear, measurable objectives and ensuring alignment between individual, team, and company priorities— clarifying expectations, tracking progress, and empowering employees to take ownership of their work with confidence and purpose.
- Feedback, Recognition, Difficult Conversations: The ability to provide clear, actionable input to help others improve performance, reinforce strengths, and drive growth. The ability to navigate high-stakes discussions with clarity and confidence.
- Psychological Safety, Collaboration: The ability to create a trusting, inclusive environment where employees feel safe to take risks, share ideas, and give feedback—especially during team formation or conflict—fostering open collaboration, mutual respect, and strong team cohesion.
- Coaching + Career Conversations: A proactive approach to employee development that involves guiding, mentoring, and supporting individuals in achieving their career aspirations—encouraging self-reflection, skill-building, and long-term growth through meaningful, future-focused discussions.
- Change Management: The ability to lead teams through transitions by fostering adaptability, maintaining clear communication, and proactively addressing concerns—ensuring employees feel supported, informed, and equipped to succeed in evolving circumstances.
- Performance Review Convo: The ability to navigate performance review cycles with fairness, clarity, and impact—ensuring performance is well-documented, feedback is actionable, and employees feel seen, supported, and motivated to grow based on clear, constructive insights.
Learn more about the behaviors that are measured for each of these focus areas →
The Targeted Actions Report (in-app link) provides a recommended Focus Area for each manager, based on an analysis of their recent 1-on-1 conversations and the behaviors most critical for their development. This recommendation highlights where coaching support could have the greatest impact.
When reviewing or assigning a Focus Area, consider the following:
- AI-recommended Focus Area: Start by reviewing the recommendation shown in the Targeted Actions Report for each manager.
- Behavior frequency and quality: Check the manager’s behavior patterns in the AI Coach Insights Report (in-app link)—focus on areas where critical behaviors are missing or need improvement.
- Urgency and team impact: Prioritize areas tied to higher urgency or greater potential impact on team engagement, performance, or retention.
- Recent feedback and assessments: Incorporate insights from engagement surveys, Best-Self Review®, or manager assessments if available.
- Manager level or experience: Align Focus Areas to the manager's career stage; foundational Focus Areas for new managers, and more advanced ones (like Change Management) for seasoned leaders.
Tip
Check out our "Kona Reporting in the HR Outcomes Dashboard" article for information about utilizing the reports mentioned above.
Yes. You can change a manager’s focus area at any time—especially as business goals evolve or new insights emerge from engagement results or competency gaps. Learn how →