1:1s template with pre-work

Problem

You want to engage your report more to prepare and use 1:1s effectively.

Solution

Structure your 1:1s in the following way. “My” here is your report - make the template all about them.

**My goals**
What are the most important objectives on your mind for the upcoming months? Keep the list up to 3 items. These may be business, project or growth related depending on current context.

- Goal 1
- Goal 2
- Goal 3

**My progress**
What progress was achieved for any of the goals listed above?

- [Goal 2] My progress

**Quick retro**
Look into the time since the last meetings. How could you categorize it?

- What good happened since the last meeting?
- What bad happened since the last meeting?

**Feedback**
Do you have any feedback since the last meeting?

- Manager -> Report
- Report -> Manager

**Current topics**
Do you have any topics to discuss today?

- Topic 1
- Topic 2

Why do I recommend this

In my past I would over-prep for 1:1s with my reports. That template was a game-changer for many reasons:

• Reports started to prepare for 1:1s and I could prepare less, regaining time
• Reports started to own these sessions more, pushing themselves when noticing there is no progress in their goals
• Feedback and retro sections became a quick signal to adjust things

Now this is my go-to template.

Resources

• I worked with a couple of managers who used this template (Wojciech Olearczyk, Ron Cummings-John)
• I think part of it comes from Mochary Method