Leader's Guide to Optimize One-on-One Meetings

Rob Cross, i4cp

March 21, 2024

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Systematic 1-1 conversations structured with intention are consistently correlated with higher employee productivity and engagement. Use this 1-1 planner to ensure you are conducting 1-1s optimally, in a research informed way.

This editable template is a 2-page word document, designed to be pasted into an email.

A Leader’s Guide to Optimize 1:1s

Systematic 1:1 conversations are consistently correlated with higher employee productivity and engagement. The 1:1s don’t need to be prolonged or frequent, but they should be consistent.
High-performing leaders engage in these touch points holistically in ways that this research-informed worksheet can guide.

Top Five Leader Behaviors that Impact Team Performance

Behaviors That IMPROVE Team Performance	Behaviors That IMPEDE Team Performance
Leading with purpose Demonstrating organizational values Recognizing achievements of others Establishing psychological safety Helping the team set and prioritize goals	Lacking transparency Disrespecting team members Fostering chaos or disorganization Insufficiently structuring the team’s work Creating factions between teams

A 1:1 meeting structure with these six elements, in this order, is a proven way to ensure you’re demonstrating healthy behaviors and avoiding the toxic ones.

Let your direct report lead the 1:1, dedicating half the time to listen to their perspectives.

As one leader explained,

“If an employee’s family needs their help, I need to hear it, understand, and support them so that they can give their attention to taking care of things, and then come back. The second part of this is me asking: ‘please tell me what I can do to help you.’ If I do these things right, I build trust, and help everyone focus on the task at hand.”

1:1 Planner

1. Trust		2. Purpose
Make a personal connection, off-task		Zoom out to discuss priorities
Critical first step for benevolence-based trust. May seem unnecessary when hyper-busy, but it reduces friction. NOTES:		Let them tell you their priorities, so you can shape north star objectives and identify obstacles you can remove. NOTES:
3. Development		4. Accountability
Discuss their personal priorities and aspirations		Agree, document, and communicate action
Spend < 50% of time here. Use this to shape the team’s work for engagement, and for developmental feedback. NOTES:		Agree on immediate and long-term priorities and ensure a norm of clear execution across meetings. NOTES:
5. Strategy		6. Alignment
Share a story on one key strategic objective		Close by framing the individual within the team
Illustrate one strategic intent for the team with a story, and repeat or reinforce it several times during the meeting. NOTES:		Emphasize the importance of the person’s contribution to the collective success of the team. NOTES: