Mastering One-on-One Meetings: Best Practices for Effective Team Communication

In any organization, effective communication is the backbone of success. One of the most valuable tools in a manager’s arsenal for fostering strong relationships and empowering their team members is the one-on-one meeting. These dedicated sessions provide an opportunity to connect on a personal level, address concerns, provide feedback, and align goals. However, to truly maximize the potential of these meetings, it is crucial to follow some best practices that ensure productivity and engagement. In this blog post, we will explore the key principles and actionable strategies for conducting effective one-on-one meetings with your team.

Establish a Regular Cadence:
Consistency is vital when it comes to one-on-one meetings. Set up a regular schedule that works for both you and your team members. Whether it’s a weekly, biweekly, or monthly meeting, stick to the agreed-upon timeframe. This regularity creates a sense of dependability and allows team members to prepare adequately for the discussions, ensuring that they make the most of the allotted time.

Create a Safe and Open Environment:
To foster trust and open communication, it’s crucial to establish a safe and non-judgmental environment during one-on-one meetings. Encourage team members to share their thoughts, concerns, and ideas openly. Actively listen, show empathy, and be genuinely interested in their perspectives. Respect confidentiality and assure team members that their concerns will be taken seriously and addressed appropriately.

Set Clear Objectives:
Before each meeting, set clear objectives and communicate them to your team member. This clarity ensures that both parties are on the same page and helps focus the conversation. Objectives could include discussing progress on specific projects, addressing challenges or roadblocks, exploring career aspirations, or seeking feedback on recent performance. Clearly defined goals help make the meeting purposeful and productive.

Active Listening and Feedback:
A key aspect of effective one-on-one meetings is active listening. Demonstrate your attentiveness by maintaining eye contact, nodding, and responding thoughtfully. Give team members ample time to express themselves without interruption. Ask open-ended questions to encourage deeper insights and understanding. Provide constructive feedback while highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. Remember, the goal is to have a meaningful dialogue that fosters growth and development.

Encourage Employee Ownership:
One-on-one meetings should not be one-sided conversations. Encourage your team members to take ownership of the meeting and actively participate in the discussion. Encourage them to come prepared with topics or questions they would like to discuss. This approach not only empowers individuals but also fosters a sense of ownership, accountability, and engagement.

Discuss Personal Development:
In addition to project-related discussions, dedicate time to discuss personal and professional development. Help team members identify their strengths, areas for growth, and career aspirations. Collaboratively set goals and create actionable plans to support their development. By investing in their growth, you demonstrate that you value them as individuals and are committed to their success.

Follow-Up and Accountability:
To ensure the effectiveness of your one-on-one meetings, it’s essential to follow up on discussed topics and action items. Document key points, decisions, and commitments made during the meeting. Arrange for a summary to be shared afterward, outlining action steps, deadlines, and any resources needed. Regularly review progress on action items during subsequent meetings, providing necessary guidance and support. I wholeheartedly support a leaders empowerment of their direct reports by use of questions such as “how will you hold yourself accountable to this commitment?” or “What specific commitments to action will you make as a result of this conversation?”

Mastering the art of one-on-one meetings is a powerful tool for cultivating strong relationships, enhancing team performance, and promoting employee growth and development. By implementing these best practices, you can create a positive and productive meeting environment where team members feel heard, supported, and motivated. Remember, effective communication is the cornerstone of successful leadership, and investing time in meaningful one-on-one interactions can yield tremendous results for both individuals and the overall team dynamic.

Building Daily Reading Habits

Building a daily habit of reading can be a challenging task, but with a few simple strategies, it can become a regular and enjoyable part of your routine. The first step is to set a specific and achievable goal. This could be a certain number of pages per day or a specific book that you want to read within a certain timeframe. Setting a goal will give you something to work towards and will help to keep you motivated.

Next, find a time that works best for you to read. This could be first thing in the morning, during your lunch break, or before bed. Make sure to schedule this time into your daily routine and try to stick to it as much as possible. It can also be helpful to find a comfortable and quiet space where you can focus on your reading without distractions.

Another strategy to help build a daily reading habit is to make it a social activity. Join a book club or share your reading progress with friends and family. They can help to keep you accountable and can provide valuable support and encouragement.

If you are looking for additional support and guidance in building a daily habit of reading, I would be happy to connect with you as your coach. Together, we can set specific goals, create a reading plan and make it a daily habit. Feel free to reach out to me, and we can schedule a consultation.

What is getting in the way of your daily reading?

Life is Brutal

Maybe sometimes suffering is like a kiln that brings the clay strength and beauty. If so, I’d rather stay weak and ugly these days. Just being real here.

“Can we just be honest? Life is brutal.

There is just enough goodness to rouse our hearts with expectation, and plenty enough sadness to cut us back down. When the cutting down exceeds the rising up, you wonder if you shouldn’t just stay down.”

John Eldredge (All Things New)
  1. Reflection: Just over five weeks ago my older brother Dan was in a near fatal car accident. To be completely honest, I’ve been cut down by it in ways I don’t understand. I am emotionally raw and sensing the pain of others in real ways beyond any type of empathy of my past. I read about tragedies in the news and begin to weep over the suffering of strangers. The realization of personal brutality in this life has become all too real and common to me over this past month. It’s as if this accident opened my eyes and heart in new ways to feel suffering differently. I’m not sure what good will come of this season, if any. My definition and understanding of “good”, “hope”, and “faithfulness” are currently surrounded by scaffolding and under construction. Maybe sometimes suffering is like a kiln that brings the clay strength and beauty. If so, I’d rather stay weak and ugly these days.
  2. Language I love: “Bye for now” has been the routine salutation given by my mother for years to each of her kids. It helps me lean into a future appointment with her. I love the way it crosses between here and the next for us.
  3. Be Visionary: What you envision of the future has great impact on our behavior today. If you’re reading this wishing you could live today or tomorrow differently then maybe what you need is a clearer view of what your life could look like 5 or 10 years from now. Call yourself forward standing in that reality rather than trying to climb the cliff of ambiguity without a picture of the path. I think this is all the more important of a practice during seasons of suffering. Our confident expectation of a new and better future must be big enough to carry us through the brutality of life.
  4. Resource that could change you: FOCUS ON THIS episode #128 – Breaking Free From Procrastination

Reflections And Considerations

“I do not really think that for any man valuable ‘criticism’ is usually to be attained hot on the spot: it is then too mixed with mere reaction. Let us listen again more patiently.”

J.R.R. Tolkien in a letter to C.S. Lewis regarding criticisms Tolkien had made of a piece of Lewis’ work.
  1. Reflection: Where do you need to listen again more patiently to valuable criticism you’ve been given?
  2. Language I love: in preparation for an upcoming presentation a teammate asked to meet with me prior to “calibrate”. I hadn’t heard the term used in this way before and it gave me a new appreciation for the shared desire for excellence we have in our work. 
  3. Be Visionary: A leader’s vision will tell them what they are NOT going to do as much as what they ARE going to do. Vision clarity gives a leader clear boundaries and momentum for decision-making.
  4. Podcast The Could Change You: MINUTES ON MASTERY – features simple insights from the Finding Mastery Podcast with high-performance psychologist Michael Gervais and world-leading performers in sports, the arts, and business.

4 ways to make a positive influence in your community

Today we saw a friend and neighbor running down the street. Spontaneously, my 13 and 14-year-old daughters began shouting and cheering him on as he ran by our house.

At that moment I was further reminded of the critical part we play in the relationships with the people who live and work and play in our spaces and places of influence.

Remember today that your community matters and you play an important part in the temperature of that community.

With your words and actions, you will either generate positive, the forward movement for the better OR by your words and actions you will generate negative, obstacles that interfere with the best possible outcome.

Here are 4 suggestions for making a positive impact in your community.

1- Think before you speak or act. – literally, take a breath and pause before you respond to a question or a situation.

2- Speak the truth in love toward those around you.

3- Maintain high positive regard for the people you interact with, and when you can’t, be sure your words are motivated by a desire to do good and not evil.

4- Cheer your neighbors on as they run past your house!

Your community matters and you have influence there.
How will you use it today?

Better leaders, better community, better world.

If you work on leadership skills, your family and your neighborhood get better, right?! Then if your family and your neighborhood get better, your area; your town/city gets better, the local coffee shop, the board of education improves, your entire community improves.

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Everything rises and falls on leadership

John C. Maxwell

Now I don’t mean to throw a statement at you like that as soon as you jump on. But I want to say it every day because every day I’m believing this more and more. The better the leadership the better the world. I know this sounds wild, and I realize that this sounds idealistic. I continue to see as I get older and live more of my life, I see the impact that leadership has on homes, on families, and in communities around those homes, and in spaces when you go to the store Target/Walmart, you see the impact of leadership in these people lives, and I just want to say this week that your personal leadership matters.

Your leadership matters right where you’re at. You have the potential, this sounds insane I know, but you have the potential to impact the world from where you live. If your leadership impacts your home for the better, that will impact your neighborhood for the better, even in the relationship with your neighbors and the people you interact with every day. Communication gets better, teamwork gets better, as you work on your own leadership, your fitness gets better, your thinking gets better. If you work on leadership skills, your family and your neighborhood get better, right?! Then if your family and your neighborhood get better, your area; your town/city gets better, the board of education improves, the township improves. When you walk into your local coffee shop with clarity and confidence to talk to the barista with compassion and intention you will improve the environment. Local people get helped by your improved leadership competency; by your increased abilities to make people feel safe to carry on conversations that are meaningful, and so it goes on from your neighborhood then your city and then to the county and people you interact with and the influence you have.

You’ve all heard stories about how a smile begets a smile. I just want to tell you your leadership matters. I am committed to improving my own leadership with you, to help people’s leadership get better together. Not just in their home, not just with their family, but in their work. Because if we help each other get better, with our leadership personally and professionally the world is a better place. John Maxwell said it well: “Everything rises and falls on leadership”. your community rises and falls on the leadership within it or lack thereof. Will you be part of raising it up or letting it fall?

Let’s go together to a place where our leadership is improving, and we’re seeing real change in our family, in our neighborhood, and as a result, in the growing community around us because everything improves when the leader gets better. There is no doubt about that.

I’m in love with the idea that you guys are desiring to be great leaders!

Use the comments below to share one area of leadership you are looking to improve on.

Maybe you’re a student-athlete, maybe you’re a professional business leader, and you’re trying to improve your leadership but stuck somewhere, I’m curious what kind of roadblocks are there that you need to overcome?

It takes more than what you doing to get better at what you’re doing.

All your life you’ve wanted to become better at whatever you are doing and this morning while I was on the typical running loop around my neighborhood I had a thought that may help you get there. Prompted by the in-ear Nike run club coach, Chris Bennet, the idea struck me.

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All your life you’ve wanted to become better at whatever you are doing and this morning while I was on the typical running loop around my neighborhood I had a thought that may help you get there. Prompted by the in-ear Nike run club coach, Chris Bennet, the idea struck me.

“It’s going to take more than this run to to become a better runner. It’s going to take quality recovery, nutrition, hydration, education, and more to become the better runner I know I can become.”

What struck me about this thought wasn’t so much the implication on my running hobby but more on my love for leadership and my community. If I want to make my community a better place its going to take more than what I’m doing now.

You’re like me and you want to do great things for your community. Well, it’s going to take more than doing what you’re doing to make that happen.

We want to improve the lives of those around us and help others find joy in the day to day. This is going to take more than the routine we’ve found ourselves living out each day of the week, each week of the month, each month of the year. It’s going to require a shift.

It’s going to require a shift in thinking, in doing, in action. to gain ground we are not required to make huge changes up front. I actually think the lasting most impactful improvements in our communities will come from small, incremental but powerful adjustments to our daily routine.

it takes more than what you’re doing to get better at what you’re doing. What you have been doing was enough to get you to where you are but it won’t be enough to get you where you want to go.

Put another way, What got you here won’t get you there.

So are you ready?
Here are some personal coaching questions you can use to pull yourself forward into that thinking and doing of impact.

Step 1…
First, right now, identify the specific area of desired improvement.
Is it your slow-lame running skills like me?
Is it your leadership and influence at work?
Is it your relationships at home or at play?
Is it the local community playground that needs some love?

Got it… Great now let’s move on to step 2.

Step 2…
How do you need to change the way you think about this so that you can improve it?
Here are some examples from my imagination to get you started.
– running example: learn about proper technique
– leadership example: don’t overthink it, encourage someone today
– relationship example: refuse to be silent, become more curious about what my friends need help with.
– playground example: stop waiting for someone from the parks department to knock on the door and ask me for help I commit to offer my help with specificity to the appropriate representative.

Step 3…
Take one small action today based on your new way of thinking.

Step 4…
Repeat step 3 until greatness is achieved


I hope this helps you today because I believe that better leadership means a better community and better communities mean a better world.

If this was helpful to you please tell me how in the comments and share it with a friend.

Advocacy without Inquiry is Incompetent

Advocacy is described as taking a stand that would bring assistance, advancement, encouragement, recommendation, or a sense of urgency on behalf of something or someone.

Dictionary.com tells us that Advocacy is the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending; active espousal.

I want to suggest to you today that if you are not putting forth the effort to do a thorough inquiry into the perspectives of the people you are attempting to influence, your advocacy is, or will soon be, incompetent.

To promote, encourage, and champion a cause that is of any real value we will be required to convince people to learn something new. Our job as leaders and advocates is to be the vision champions, lead learners, and the chief inquiry experts. If people in our care don’t think we are willing to learn or grow with them we will become tyrants to them.

Would you join me in an effort to grow in the skill of inquiry?
If so, take this challenge:

This week: I will talk with someone about a controversial issue that I do not have a strong stance on and use these questions to assess my capacity for inquiry.

Before I speak on the subject I will ask myself:
Have I achieved perfect knowledge in this matter?
– Am I open to continued learning?
– What inferences or assumptions am I making?
– What is the observable data I’m using to form my conclusions
– How has my thinking changed on this matter since learning new information?
– Who has helped me explore and challenge the data and my assumptions, inferences, and conclusions?

As I engage with others on the subject:
– Am I asking about their view honestly?
– Am I seeking to truly understand their conclusions?
– Do I explore, listen and offer my own perspective with a growth mindset?
– Do I listen for a larger meaning that could be emerging that would have gone undiscovered without the open sharing of thinking and perspective?


This month: I will listen closely to someone who is clearly on the opposing side of something I believe in strongly and only ask questions to better understand their perspective.


I believe that sharing what we learn is vital for the growth and health of our people. If you choose to join in with me on this practice of inquiry please come back and share what you’ve learned about advocacy and inquiry.