Make the One-to-One Worth Keeping

Separate Support From Status

A useful one-to-one gives someone room to discuss work they cannot resolve through a dashboard or group update. Agree on its purpose together: priorities, obstacles, feedback and development. Let the employee influence the agenda while recognising that the manager still owns important responsibilities. Keep routine reporting elsewhere when possible. Choose a cadence that fits the work and the person’s needs, and avoid repeatedly cancelling for apparently more urgent meetings. If you must move a session, reschedule it promptly so access to support does not depend on whoever makes the most noise.

Ask for the Concrete Version

Broad questions can invite broad answers. Instead of stopping at how things are going, ask which decision is blocked, what priority is competing with another or where your involvement would help. Allow silence and listen without immediately turning the conversation into a story about your own career. Ask permission before shifting into advice when the person is still explaining the problem. Discuss growth through current work: a presentation, a delegation opportunity or a skill that needs practice. Development becomes more useful when it connects to an actual next assignment rather than a distant aspiration.

• Ask what should stop, start or change.
• Confirm which topic matters most today.
• Review your own outstanding commitments first.

Close the Loop in Writing

Finish by summarising decisions, actions and anything that still needs clarification. Assign an owner and an appropriate follow-up date, including commitments you have made as the manager. Keep notes concise and handle personal or sensitive information according to organisational policy; do not promise confidentiality you cannot provide. At the next meeting, revisit what happened rather than beginning from zero. If a concern needs a formal process or specialist support, say so clearly and arrange it. Trust grows when people see that raising an issue leads to a considered response, not simply a more detailed record of their frustration.

A useful meeting changes what happens after it.