Hell Yes! One on Ones with Employees Are a Must

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with a woman who is a natural born leader. One on ones are an essential part of her success and she has had a lot of success in corporate America.

I love to talk with individuals or small groups of people post/pre my keynotes and learn. Just soak it in and learn. Then, I bring nuggets of brilliance home and see if I can add something that is current and awesome to my presentations that I discovered,

Margaret’s message to the group of five mid- and upper-management leaders was direct, used an economy of words and hit home with all of us.

“There is no responsibility more important than the one on ones I have with my teams.” She went on to share that these sessions are always run by the individual, not her. They have control, set the tone and the results are impactful.

“I listen,” she went on to say. “I learn, I guide and suggest when needed. They like leading and get comfortable quickly. Trust grows and information seems to flow easier too.”

I asked if other if she knows of other leaders who do this.

“Not exactly that I know of,” she said. “Many managers who do a regular one on one use it to give an employee more instructions or maybe it’s to check off that they did it. Or, worse yet, they have it on a calendar, but they rarely meet as they are too busy.”

Back to Margaret in a moment.

If we can agree that one on ones are very important, then why don’t we treat them this way? As the leader of staff, are you prepared for your 1:1 or do you wing it?

Research Supports the Importance of One on Ones

According to Stephen G. Rogelberg’s lengthy workplace survey, it is essential to set the cadence for 1:1s and be flexible with your reports.

 (1) You meet with each of your team members once a week for 30 minutes or so. In my surveys, employees, regardless of job level, rated this approach the most desirable; it also correlated with the highest levels of engagement.

(2) In the second-highest-rated plan you meet every other week for 45 to 60 minutes.

(3) In a hybrid plan you meet with some team members weekly and others every two weeks.

And then, there’s the feedback. My experience is that this is critical, necessary and supports open communications between managers and reports. This is where we have an opportunity to share ideas, information, knowledge and more.

Margaret continued, “There is also the underlying belief that is held by many. Managers feel that this is an added meeting to their calendar, but it actually saves time as your direct reports save their questions and start working on them proactively. My direct reports look forward to the meetings as it is “their time” to discuss and go over topics. How many of us can say that!”

If your 1:1s are stale and in need of a rebrand, a new call to action or an extreme redo then take the time. In the end, you’ll save time, get better buy in from staff, plus have meetings that are employee-driven and department/manager focused from a goals perspective.

There is a new type of manager. They listen, guide when needed and empower their staff with the tools needed to get the job done well. There is less ego and more of us. Less dictating and more collaboration. Strong, fun and more effective 1:1s are here if you want them. To Margaret’s point, it saves time and reports can be more proactive as it is their meeting, and they are in charge.

Continue the Leadership Conversation

The ideas in this article are part of a broader conversation about leadership, employee retention, workplace AI, and organizational change. Scott helps organizations across healthcare, government, manufacturing, financial services, technology, human resources, safety, early childhood education, and professional associations develop stronger leaders and build more engaged workplaces.

Explore Scott’s keynote programs:

• Leadership Speaker – Build stronger leaders, improve communication, and create high-performing teams.
• Employee Retention Keynote Speaker – Strengthen engagement, reduce turnover, and build workplaces where employees want to stay.
• Workplace AI Speaker – Help leaders and employees prepare for the future of work while keeping people at the center of organizational success.
• Change Management Speaker – Equip leaders with practical strategies for navigating disruption and leading organizational change with confidence.