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My Approach to 1:1 Meetings as a Manager

2 mins
The glue that holds it all together.

Why have one on one (1:1) meetings? #

One on one meetings play a crucial role in building a manager and direct report’s relationship. When structured and used correctly, the meeting offers the direct reportees a platform to continue their growth while also helping struggling workers get the help they need.

I’m sure many people, on both sides of the desk, have experienced sitting in an awkward 1:1 meeting wondering what to talk about. And a bad 1:1 meeting can cringe both faces. But when used correctly, this type of meeting can lay a foundation for support, discussion, and foster relationship building.

Generally, here’s what I use these meetings for:

  • New project discussion or existing project updates.
  • Strategy or brainstorming talks.
  • Performance reviews and career planning.
  • Problem solving sessions.
  • Specific training or how-tos lessons.
  • Catching up on each other’s lives.
The last point is important. High performing teams that invest time connecting in genuine ways yields closer friendships and better teamwork.

Tips for Running Effective 1:1 Meetings #

  1. Set up a consistent cadence for the meeting. Weekly or bi-weekly is ideal and obviously subject to the person’s seniority and/or how well they’re doing. Tenured workers need less touch points than newer, more junior workers. Regardless, a consistent cadence put on the calendar ensures your direct report has time to talk to you regularly without having to hunt for time.
  2. On your first 1:1, set the stage. Let the direct report know why you’re scheduling time with them and what purpose it serves. Cite some of the bullet points from above.
  3. Make sure to note that these meetings are somewhat optional. If there’s no items to discuss or you already caught up earlier in the day, it can be cancelled. But make sure it’s the direct report who cancels though. There’s nothing worse than having your manager repeatedly cancel on you when you wanted to talk.
  4. Try to keep these meetings productive but not overly formal. They should be somewhat loose in feeling so everyone’s comfortable engaging.

Last Advice: Take Notes #

A lot can be discussed during these meetings so take notes on general action items, career goals, issues, or requests. This is useful to reference before the next meeting to make sure nothing was forgotten.

I’ve found that Notion has a wonderful meeting tracker for this purpose. It can track key talking points, next steps, and deliverables.