👇 Table of Content

🎯 Core Principles

Purpose of 1:1s

1. Build Trust and Open Communication
   • Building trust between manager and IC is fundamental to career growth and team success. This means creating a safe space where engineers can discuss technical challenges, career aspirations, and personal growth without fear of judgement.
   • Trust is built through consistent follow-through on commitments and honest, transparent communication.
2. Focus on Career Growth
   • Each 1:1 should contribute to the engineer's long-term career development. This involves discussing technical skills advancement, leadership opportunities, and alignment with the career ladder.
   • Regular discussions about growth ensure engineers are consistently progressing toward their career goals while delivering value to the team.
3. Address Blockers and Support
   • Technical work often involves complex dependencies and cross-team collaboration. Use 1:1s to surface and address obstacles early, whether they're technical (architecture decisions, system limitations), organizational (cross-team dependencies), or resource-related (tools, access, training needs).

📜 Meeting Structure

Before the Meeting

Preparation is key to productive 1:1 meetings. Start by determining the appropriate frequency and length based on the individual’s needs, goals, and seniority.

During onboarding, weekly 1:1s are recommended, while the standard cadence can vary between weekly and monthly (monthly being the minimum). Each session should last between 30 minutes and 1 hour to allow for meaningful discussions.

📌 Key actions to take:

• Set up a recurring calendar invite to provide consistency and predictability.
• Maintain a shared agenda document where both you and the employee can add topics for discussion. Examples include:
  • Achievements and wins.
  • Challenges or roadblocks.
  • Updates on personal or professional goals.
  • Career development and coaching opportunities.
• Review past meeting notes and follow-ups to track progress and ensure continuity.

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Conversation Starter

"Hey <Name>, how's your week going? <Listen and engage briefly with their response.> Awesome! Would you like to start with updates on the key action points we discussed last time, or should we focus on something else today?"

Note: Always pause after the initial greeting and first question to allow for a genuine response and natural conversation flow.

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During the Meeting

The focus of a 1:1 should be on the employee, not the manager, and it should go beyond being a mere status update. Create an open and trusting environment by starting with casual check-in questions such as:

• "How has the week been?"