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A Guide: One-on-One Meeting Agenda

In today's workplace, one-on-one meetings are more than just a check-in; they catalyze growth. When done well, they build strong relationships, increase human flourishing, foster continuous development, and boost employee engagement. This guide will help you build one-on-one meetings into powerful tools for cultivating a flourishing, people-focused team. Here's your One-on-One Meeting agenda for sustainable leadership.


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The goal of one-on-one Meetings: 

  1. Team Alignment for execution of strategy

  2. Team-member development

  3. Reinforce culture and vision 



Before the Meeting (15 minutes of prep)

Meeting Cadence: Aim for weekly or bi-weekly 30-45 minute meetings. Always start on time and always end on time. 

Build a collaborative Agenda: Ask your employee to take the lead. 

  • "What would you like to focus on today?"

  • "What specific challenges or wins do you want to discuss?"

  • "Is there anything I can provide support with regarding your goals?"

  • Note: Use a shared document or task management software to see the real-time agenda. The meeting agenda should be built before the Meeting, but always allow time for topics that arise that are not included.

Your Preparation

  • Review the agenda along with any recent work highlights or previous meeting notes.

  • State your desired outcome for the Meeting. 

During the Meeting (Focus: 70-80% of the time)

Build Connection:

  • Begin with a check-in: "How are you the person?" (This can segue into non-work topics, too, building rapport) How are you feeling about your work this week?

  • Respond Empathetically & Reaffirm the employee's desire to succeed in all of life.


Address the Agenda

  • "Tell me more about [topic from the agenda]."

  • "What are your thoughts on how to approach [challenge]?"

  • "How did you think {project/assignment} went? 


Development Focus:

  • "How can I better support you in your role this week?"

  • "What could we do next time to improve the efficiency or outcome of the assignment?"

  • "What skills or competencies would you like to improve this month?"


Feedback Loop:

  • "I've been really impressed by how you handled [situation]..." (Positive reinforcement)

  • "Could we explore a different approach to [task] to improve efficiency?" (Constructive guidance)


Closing the Meeting (10-15% of time)

Summarize & Take Action:

  • "So, it sounds like our next steps are..."

  • "Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

  • "Thank you for your insights/hard work on [specific item]."

  • Ask the employee to add the following steps as an action item to review in your next one-on-one. 


Schedule the next Meeting (Automate this when possible)


Important Notes

  • Create Trust: Offer a confidential and supportive space for honest conversations.

  • Mutual Growth: Emphasize that your development as a manager is also a significant outcome of these meetings.

  • Flexibility is Key: Adapt these questions and time allocations based on employee needs and meeting priorities.





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