One-on-One: Manager Weekly 1:1

Most managers understand that it’s important to schedule regular check-ins with every employee. What’s harder to figure out, though, is how to make the most out of those regular check-ins.

In a nutshell, that’s what this agenda template is for—to help managers and their employees have more collaborative, productive weekly one-on-one meetings. A weekly one-on-one ideally accomplishes multiple purposes:  it builds rapport, encourages growth, and improves productivity. 

But maximizing the one-on-one is not solely up to the agenda. The effectiveness of this meeting also depends on the collaboration between the manager and the direct report.

As a manager, you must think about how to ensure your one-on-ones are helping you build rapport, encouraging professional growth, and keeping direct reports focused on organizational goals. The employee also needs to provide the input and day-to-day insights that help managers solve problems. In other words, direct reports must help their managers help them.

Because of the need for a collaborative approach, this agenda was constructed with collaboration in mind. Both the manager and their direct report must work together on this agenda and add discussion points to the various sections. Ideally, that back and forth takes place before the meeting. But if not, it’s important to set priorities at the start of the meeting based on your time constraints. From there, you can work within your time limit to address the most pressing issues. 

And when you’re done, this template allows you to compile your notes and action items easily into your preferred project management software.