Effective One-on-One Meetings
Course Summary
The 101 on One-on-Ones
“The 1:1 is not an informal chat – it’s an opportunity to connect deeply with your team members and understand their challenges and aspirations.” - Andy Grove, High Output Management
When one-on-ones are done well, they build trust, improve performance, and strengthen relationships between managers and their teams.
One-on-ones are most effective when they are employee-driven, not manager-led. The employee should do most of the talking, managers should do more listening and guiding.
Consistently showing up for one-on-ones shows your employees that you care and that they’re a priority. Canceling, rescheduling, or being late sends the opposite message—and over time, it can erode trust and engagement.
Employees thrive with predictability. Use an agenda on a shared document to record meeting notes.
To Delegate or Not to Delegate
Use the Eisenhower Matrix to help you prioritize your workload and determine what to delegate.
Empowering employees focuses on the “what.” Micromanaging employees focuses on the “what” and the “how.”
The Skill/Will Matrix is tool you can use to determine actions you can take on an employee based on their skill level and will level. This is also helpful in determining who you can delegate tasks and projects to.
Providing Clear Support
When expectations, responsibilities, or goals are unclear, it becomes difficult to hold people accountable for their work. Without clarity, individuals may not fully understand what is expected of them, which can lead to confusion, misalignment, and a lack of ownership over tasks or outcomes.
Ask more questions! Instead of directing people what to do, ask questions to ask them access the information in their heads.
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