Running Your 1:1s 🤝

Your 1:1 with your manager is the single highest-leverage 30 minutes of your week. Don’t waste it.

Ground rules

You drive the agenda. Not your manager. Yes, really.
Send a short agenda 24h beforehand — even 3 bullets is fine.
Don’t use it just for status updates. Send those in writing. Use 1:1 time for things that need conversation.

What to bring

Each 1:1, come with:

1–2 wins or updates (30 seconds each)
1 blocker or dilemma (the main thing)
1 question about the bigger picture (career, feedback, org context)

Sample 1:1 agenda

- Progress update on Project X (2 min)
- Stuck on Y — options are A or B, would love your take (10 min)
- Feedback: how did I handle the [meeting/incident] last week? (5 min)
- Career question: what should I focus on developing this quarter? (5 min)
- Anything from your side (5 min)

If your manager cancels…

Don’t take it personally — reschedule for the same week. If it happens 3 times in a row, gently flag: “Would it be easier if we moved this to a different time? I really rely on this catch-up.”