Whether you want to discuss your real-time performance, your career development, or ask for feedback and coaching, the most effective 1:1s happen when you bring relevant issues to the table that you want to discuss.
Your 1:1 is the only meeting on your calendar where you are the main subject. Your manager should never have to ask "So, what do you want to talk about?". Be invested in yourself and your performance by showing up with topics to discuss.
Even if you already know the importance of your 1:1 meetings, it can be a challenge to come up with quality questions for every meeting. To help you out, we've compiled a list of suggested questions to ask any time you need a fresh idea:
Questions for Growth & Development
What do you think are the key skills needed for my role? How would you rate me on them?
What do you see as a gap in my skill set?
Where do you think my communication can be improved?
How do you see my role evolving over the next 6 months? What about in 1 year?
Can you recommend how I can improve in/at _______?
Can you recommend any resources or additional training opportunities [to help in current or future roles]?
Would you be willing to make an introduction to [someone in professional network]?
Are there any upcoming possibilities for advancement on our team?
What steps can I take right now to progress my career with the company? What can I be doing now to begin working towards my [professional goal] ?
Is there an opportunity for me to take on more responsibility?
What would you like me to do less of? More of?
Who in the company do you think I can learn the most from?
Questions to Promote Team & Organizational Alignment
Who on the team needs help? How can I better support them?
Is there anything you feel that is holding our team back?
What skills do you think our team is lacking?
How can we improve the way our team works together? What would you love to be true about how our team works together?
What's one thing I can do to help our team improve its performance?
What is one thing you'd like for our team to start doing/doing more of?
What led us to decide [recent decision on team/in company]?
Do you feel I communicate well with my team? Do you think I contribute enough in team meetings?
What's our biggest "miss" and how can we resolve it?
What do you think is our biggest risk right now? What's the plan if that happens?
Is there anything people around me are neglecting to share with me?
Who is doing a great job on the team? What have they done?
How can I get more involved in workplace culture?
Questions to Build Rapport & Manage Up
Do you feel I communicate well with you?
Who are your mentors? Who inspires you?
What is the best way or means to ask for your input or feedback?
Is there anything you need to know about my work?
How do you define a successful 1:1 meeting?
What's something you'd like to do but haven't had the time or resources to do?
What parts/components of my work are you most familiar with?
What parts/components of my work are things you haven't done as much of yourself?
What wins do you need?
What are your priorities?
What was your career path/how did you end up in [their] role?
What is your favorite part of our culture?
What do you do to avoid burnout?
To read more on taking ownership of your 1:1 & for additional context around questions to ask your manager, check out our blog post: Questions to Ask for Magic One-on-One Meetings