The Meeting Purge: Why One-on-One Meetings are still vital

Why Every Manager Needs to Master the One-on-One Meeting
Your job as a manager is simple but not easy: produce results and retain talent.
And there’s no better tool to achieve both than the one-on-one meeting.

👥 Why One-on-One Meetings Matter

A one-on-one meeting is your most powerful leadership tool. It’s your direct line to each team member — a dedicated space to connect, listen, and lead.

Effective one-on-one conversations help you:

• Build personal connection

• Surface challenges early

• Celebrate individual wins

• Align on goals and expectations

These aren’t just casual check-ins. They’re high-impact, high-trust conversations that can’t be replicated in group settings or email threads.

🛑 Don’t Turn Your One-on-One Into a Status Meeting
Your one-on-one meeting isn’t for project updates — those can happen elsewhere. Use this time to go deeper: into roadblocks, motivations, development, and alignment.

🚫 The Cost of Cancelling a One-on-One

We all get busy, but skipping or rescheduling your one-on-one meetings sends a message — that your team isn’t a priority.

Over time, missed one-on-ones lead to:

• Disengagement

• Misalignment

• Burnout and missed warning signs

Keep them consistent. Weekly for newer hires. Biweekly for experienced team members. Adjust based on how often you interact outside of the meeting.

🔥 Have One-on-Ones or Fight Fires Later
"A stitch in time saves nine" — and nowhere is that more true than with your one-on-one meetings.

Proactive one-on-one conversations help you spot and solve issues early. Use open-ended questions to dig deeper:

1. "What’s on your mind?"

2. "What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing?"

3. "What would success look like this week?"

4. "Where do you need support?"

5. "What’s not going as well as it could?"

📉 But Don’t Just Take Our Word for It
In 2023, Shopify made headlines by slashing nearly all recurring meetings — but notably, they didn’t eliminate one-on-one meetings. Their goal was to reduce time-wasting group meetings, while preserving high-value conversations like manager one-on-ones.

Shopify’s approach highlights this: one-on-one meetings still matter — even in companies trying to cut meeting bloat.

💬 One-on-One Wisdom from Julie Zhuo
Julie Zhuo, in The Making of a Manager, says it perfectly:

“The simple act of showing up for your team, listening to them, and giving feedback is more powerful than you can imagine. One-on-one meetings are your chance to steer, support, and truly connect with your team.”

🔧 Master the One-on-One — and 51 Other Tools
If you found this helpful, you’ll love the full Leader’s Toolkit at LeaderTools.co — packed with 51 other actionable management tools just like this.