Mastering 1:1 Meetings: Your Full Challenge Recap
Find all five days in one place
Missed a day – or five – of our 5-Day Mastering 1:1 Meetings Challenge? You’re in the right place.
Thanks to everyone who read along last week! But if life got in the way and you missed a day, or if you’re a new subscriber, here’s the full roadmap of what we covered.
Each article stands on its own, so you can read them in any order. Below each one, I’ve flagged who it’s most useful for and what you’ll walk away with.
If you haven’t already done so, be sure to download your copy of How to Tailor Feedback to Each Personality Type – your go-to reference for giving feedback that works for every type on your team.
Day 1: How to Hold 1:1s That Aren’t a Waste of Time
Best for: Leaders whose 1:1s have started feeling pointless, anyone who’s quietly relieved when one gets canceled, or managers juggling more direct reports than feels reasonable.
You’ll learn:
Why “I don’t have time” is usually the wrong diagnosis for a stalled 1:1
The two kinds of 1:1s that consistently pay off – and the one question to ask before every meeting
How to name the purpose of the meeting in the first two minutes so drifting meetings get their shape back
Day 2: How to Make 1:1s Productive When There’s No Rapport Yet
Best for: Leaders who just inherited a team, new managers still finding their footing, or anyone sitting across from someone they don’t have much of a working relationship with yet.
You’ll learn:
Five tips for running a useful 1:1 when the warmth isn’t there yet – starting with how to open without leaning on small talk
A reframe around how connection actually forms between two people, and why you can’t force it
A single action item to put one of these moves into practice in your very next 1:1
Day 3: How to Deliver Hard Feedback in a 1:1
Best for: Leaders sitting on a feedback conversation they’ve been postponing, anyone who dreads confrontation (especially Turbulent personality types), or managers heading into a high-stakes 1:1 they want to get right.
You’ll learn:
Why confrontation, done right, is actually a kindness – and the reframe that makes it easier to say the thing
Five moves for delivering hard feedback in a 1:1 without wrecking the relationship
An action item to put these moves into practice – plus the one move to start with if you only have time for one
Day 4: What to Do When Your Team Member Isn’t Engaged
Best for: Leaders pulling teeth for anything more than one-word answers, managers worried about a quieter team member, or anyone who’s done 90% of the talking in their last few 1:1s.
You’ll learn:
The first question to ask yourself before assuming the 1:1 itself is broken
Five checks to run when your team member isn’t really showing up to the conversation
The one thing you might be doing that’s making this worse, and how to fix it
Day 5: Bridging Personality Differences in 1:1 Meetings
Best for: Leaders who’ve felt like their leadership style lands better with some team members than others, or anyone curious about the role personality plays in 1:1 meetings.
You’ll learn:
Why the same 1:1 can feel productive to one person and pointless to the other
The 5 personality trait pairs that shape 1:1s – and the friction that can show up between them
Helpful tips for leading someone whose personality traits are the opposite of yours
What’s Coming Next
This 5-day challenge was just the beginning of the Mastering 1:1 Meetings series.
Throughout the rest of May, we’re rolling out articles tailored to the four personality Roles – Analysts, Diplomats, Sentinels, and Explorers. Each piece will walk through how that Role tends to experience a 1:1 on both sides of the table – as a leader, and as a team member – and how to adjust when the person across from you has a different personality.
Which article from the challenge resonated the most for you? Let me know in the comments.