Template

1-on-1 Meeting Template

A good 1-on-1 is the report's meeting, not a status review. This template starts with their agenda, surfaces blockers early, and makes feedback and growth a standing item instead of an annual event.

When to use this template

  • • Weekly or biweekly manager and direct-report check-ins.
  • • Skip-level conversations, with the growth section expanded.
  • • Mentor and mentee sessions outside a reporting line.

The template

**Manager:** [Name]
**Report:** [Name]
**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Cadence:** [Weekly / Biweekly]

**1. Check-in**
How are things going overall? Energy level, workload, anything outside work worth knowing.

**2. Their agenda (they go first)**
- [Topic]

**3. Priorities this period**
- [Priority] — Status: [on track / at risk]

**4. Blockers & support needed**
- [Blocker] — What I can do: [manager action]

**5. Feedback**
Manager → report: [specific, behavioral, recent]
Report → manager: [what should I do more/less of]

**6. Growth & career**
Current focus: [skill or goal]
Progress since last time: [x]

**7. Follow-ups from last 1-on-1**
- [Item] — Done / carried over

**8. Action items**
- [ ] Owner — Task — Due date

Copy the block above and paste it into your notes app.

Filled-in example

**Manager:** Priya Shah
**Report:** Jaden Ellis
**Date:** 2026-05-14
**Cadence:** Weekly

**1. Check-in**
Good week overall; on-call last week was heavy, catching up on sleep.

**2. Their agenda (they go first)**
- Wants clarity on who owns webhook reliability long term.

**3. Priorities this period**
- Retry logic for failed webhooks — on track
- Refund endpoint docs — at risk (deprioritized during on-call)

**4. Blockers & support needed**
- Needs finance sign-off on rounding rule — Priya to escalate to Dana this week.

**5. Feedback**
Manager → report: The incident writeup on May 6 was clear and blameless — do more of that.
Report → manager: Would like earlier notice when roadmap priorities shift.

**6. Growth & career**
Current focus: leading a project end to end.
Progress: shadowed Rosa on the payments kickoff.

**7. Follow-ups from last 1-on-1**
- Conference budget request — approved.

**8. Action items**
- [ ] Priya — Escalate rounding rule to Dana — May 15
- [ ] Jaden — Draft webhook ownership proposal — May 21

Tips that make it work

  • • Let the report speak first and resist filling silence.
  • • Keep the same document over time so progress and patterns are visible.
  • • Give one specific piece of feedback each session, not a saved-up batch.
  • • Review last session's follow-ups first — it proves the meeting matters.

FAQ

How often should 1-on-1s happen?

Weekly for new reports and fast-moving work, every two weeks for experienced reports. Consistency matters more than frequency — a cancelled 1-on-1 sends a signal.

Who owns the 1-on-1 agenda?

The report. The manager adds items, but the meeting belongs to the person being managed and should start with their topics.

What should a manager never do in a 1-on-1?

Turn it into a status update. Project status belongs in standups and written updates; the 1-on-1 is for blockers, feedback, and growth.

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