One on one meetings are regular private conversations between a manager and a direct report, used to review goals, share feedback, remove obstacles and plan growth. They work best when they are scheduled, prepared and owned by both people.
The meeting sits inside the wider role of a leader, a topic explored in the guide to the chief of staff role, where regular check-ins with leaders are a core routine.
Purpose of a one-on-one
Drexel University’s HR office describes the purpose as a regular time for employees and their managers to connect, discuss progress toward goals, share information, address obstacles, review project statuses, provide feedback and partner on growth and development plans. The meeting is not a status report for the manager alone. It is a shared space with a mix of work and development topics.
A Harvard Business School Working Knowledge article by Julia Austin, a technology executive, adds that the one-on-one is the forum where a manager can clarify the goals of the organization, performance expectations and build a trusting relationship with each employee. She also argues that steady one-on-ones through the year make performance reviews easier, because review time can be more about goals and the year ahead than about feedback from the past.
Cadence and format
The most common question is how often to meet. Drexel’s guidance leaves the choice to the two people, noting that for some, a weekly meeting is appropriate, while others will meet bi-weekly or monthly. Its stronger point is regularity: scheduling the meeting helps make it part of your routine, which makes it less likely that you will reschedule or cancel.
The Harvard article says the same in practical terms. It advises to book a regular cadence of 1:1s and says they should not be ad hoc. It also suggests deciding the length and format together with the employee, such as an office, a walk or coffee, and changing the format later if it is not working.
A practical way to choose is to start with a weekly or every-other-week meeting, then adjust. People who are new to a team or a role often benefit from more frequent contact at the start, and experienced people with stable work may need less. Cancelling should be the exception, because a skipped meeting tells the other person that their topics are low priority.
Building the agenda
An agenda keeps the time useful. Drexel notes that it can be helpful to have a general, flexible agenda to ensure your time is well spent, and that the agenda does not need to be identical each time. It suggests setting aside a meeting from time to time to focus on growth and development instead of general topics.
Drexel gives a sample agenda built from simple prompts: what is on your mind, what is on your plate, what do you need from me, two-way feedback, and action items. The same page offers variants that focus on goals or on growth, such as asking what the employee is most proud of recently and where they see room to develop.
The Harvard article suggests that topics should be about professional growth, personal connection and for giving each other feedback. It recommends sending the employee a list of what you want to cover about 24 hours before the meeting, mixing strategic, tactical and personal items, and always asking what the employee wants to add. It also says not to use the meeting to rehash a group meeting or standup unless something was specifically taken offline.
Keeping it separate from status updates
A one-on-one is not the place for a detailed progress report that could be written. A short written project status update before the meeting frees the time for blockers, decisions and feedback. This keeps the conversation focused on what the employee needs, not on reading out a list of tasks.
Linking one-on-ones to goals
Many organizations tie these meetings to a goal framework. The article on OKRs explained in plain terms shows how objectives are set, and a regular one-on-one is a natural place to review progress against them. Drexel’s goal-focused sample agenda follows this pattern, asking how the employee is doing on the goals set for the period, what went well and what they would change next time.
Preparing and following up
Preparation is short but makes a visible difference. Before the meeting, each person can jot down the two or three things they most want to settle, glance at the notes from last time, and check whether earlier action items were completed. The manager can also review recent work from the employee, so feedback is specific instead of general.
Following up matters as much as the conversation itself. Action items should be written down with an owner and a date, and the first minutes of the next meeting should confirm what happened. Over several months these notes become a lightweight record of goals, feedback and development steps, which makes formal reviews easier to write and easier to discuss because nothing in them is a surprise.
Topics that tend to come up
Typical topics include progress on current priorities, obstacles and what the employee needs from the manager, feedback in both directions, development goals, workload and priorities, and team or organization news that affects the employee. Personal connection belongs on the list too, since the Harvard article names it among the core topics. The balance shifts with the person: someone newer to a role may want more guidance on priorities, while an experienced colleague may want to talk about growth or a change in scope.
Feedback is easier to give and receive when it is a regular part of the conversation rather than a special event. A manager who raises small points early rarely needs to deliver a hard message later, and an employee who hears what is going well is better placed to act on suggestions for improvement.
Common problems and fixes
Several habits undermine these meetings. The most common are cancelling often, letting the manager do all the talking, and treating the time as a status update. A few simple fixes help:
- Keep the meeting on the calendar and move it, instead of dropping it, when conflicts arise.
- Let the employee set at least part of the agenda, and ask open questions.
- Write down action items and review them at the start of the next meeting.
- Keep the conversation private and avoid using it as a place for group announcements.
- Check periodically whether the cadence and format still suit both people.
Remote and hybrid teams can run the meeting by video or phone. A fixed time and a shared notes document help keep the conversation consistent when the two people are rarely in the same place.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a one-on-one last?
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There is no single rule. The Harvard article frames it as a choice made together between a shorter or longer slot, and says format and length can change as the working relationship settles.
Who sets the agenda?
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Both people. The manager can send topics ahead of time, and the employee should always be asked what they want to cover, so the meeting serves both sides.
Can a one-on-one be cancelled?
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Occasionally, but not routinely. The Harvard article says it is fine to skip one now and then, while a locked-in calendar slot is the manager’s commitment to being there for the employee.
What if there is nothing to discuss?
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A short meeting is still useful. Prompts such as what is on your mind and what you need from the manager usually surface something, and a general flexible agenda makes quiet weeks easier.
