Best Practices & Tips for 1-on-1s

In this article: 

We have consolidated a list of best practice 1-on-1 questions to facilitate healthy discussions between managers and their associates. We recommend 3-5 questions for each review cycle.  

What – discussing what results have been achieved and how can we improve

Reviewing past events:
  •          What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of this year(quarter)?
  •          What do you think went well this year(quarter)?
  •          In which area(s) would you like to improve
  •          What may have been some things that de-motivate you with your role?
Forward-looking:
  •          What things should we do differently?
  •          What are your goals for the next (six months/year)?
  •          Do you have the resources and tools you need to perform your job?
  •          Are there any concerns you have going forward?
  •          What are the most important goals you have coming up for the year?
  •          Are there any goals that could be a challenge for you to accomplish this (quarter/year)?
  •          What types of experiences or interactions do you need this year to be happy with your contribution to our team?

How & Behaviors –  discussing how the results were achieved

  •          How could you be more helpful for others on the team?
  •          In what ways have you demonstrated our values?   
  •          Which behavior or value do you need to improve or continue to grow?

Development - opening up career path discussions

  •          What new knowledge or skills do you think you need to develop?
  •          What do you want your next position at this company to be?
  •          What would you like to be doing two years from now?

Manager Feedback – building the manager and employee relationship

  •          What do you think I should do differently next year as your manager?
  •          What have I done to help you do your job better?
  •          What have I done to hinder your job performance?
  •          What are 1 or 2 things I should improve with my management style that would be most helpful to you?  
  •          What can I do to make your job easier?