Definitive Guide to 1:1 Questions from Qulture.rocks

👉 1:1 meetings are a powerful tool to promote effective communication and build strong relationships between leaders and team members. However, for these meetings to be truly productive, it's important to address a variety of relevant topics.

In this guide, we will explore a wide range of subjects and provide specific questions that can be asked during 1:1 meetings. By understanding the importance of each topic, you will be able to make the most of these encounters and foster a healthy and productive work environment.

Suggestions for topics according to each theme 🚀

🟣 Work Planning: Setting Goals and Tracking Progress

Work planning is essential to ensure that everyone is aligned regarding goals and priorities. During 1:1 meetings, it is important to discuss planning, track task progress, and share constructive feedback. This helps promote transparency, identify challenges, and ensure that everyone is on the right track to achieve established objectives.

• How do you feel about your work, both personally and professionally?

• What have been the positive and frustrating moments you've experienced recently?

• Let's review the tasks and agreements established in previous 1:1 meetings.

• Do you have any positive or constructive feedback you would like to share?

• Let's review the three priorities for the week and discuss progress towards them.

• Let's take notes on tasks and agreements to ensure nothing is forgotten

🟣 Development: Exploring Opportunities for Professional

Growth Continuous development is essential for professional and personal growth. During 1:1 meetings, it is important to discuss skill development, identify challenges, and explore learning opportunities. This approach helps create a learning environment and encourages employees to feel challenged and valued in their work.

• Do you feel that you're being challenged enough in your work?

• What skills would you like to develop to increase your productivity and results in your current responsibilities?

• Who would you like to learn from here in the company? About what?

• Let's explore the intersection between your skills, personal interests, and the company's needs. What can we discover in this intersection?

• Do you feel that you're making the most of your skills and potential here?

• How can I support your Individual Development Plan (IDP)?

• Let's provide feedback based on your performance report and discuss growth opportunities.

• When comparing your self-assessment with the leadership assessment, do you disagree with any evaluation? Why?

• Let's align expectations regarding the evaluation and discuss next steps.

• Let's define specific development points for your IDP.

🟣 Performance Feedback: Feedback Based on Performance Report

Explore how to provide effective feedback based on performance, promoting a comparison between self-assessment and leadership assessment, as well as aligning expectations and defining development points.

• Feedback based on performance report

• Let's compare your self-assessment with the leadership assessment. Do you disagree with any evaluation? Why?

• Let's align expectations regarding the evaluation and discuss next steps.

• What are the identified development points for your Individual Development Plan (IDP)?

🟣 Feedback: Promoting Communication and Development

Evaluate if the employee is receiving feedback sufficiently in terms of quantity and quality. Encourage the sharing of constructive feedback and provide support in structuring that feedback. Understand how the employee prefers to receive guidance and identify areas in which they would like to receive training. Discuss current performance and provide feedback on the results achieved.

• Do you feel you are receiving feedback with an adequate frequency in terms of quantity?

• How do you assess the quality of the feedback you have been receiving?

• Do you believe the frequency of feedback is appropriate for your development?

• Is there any feedback you would like to share with me or someone on the team?

• Can I assist you in structuring that feedback in any way?

• In what way do you prefer to receive guidance when it comes to feedback? Is there a specific format that is more effective for you?

• In which aspect of your work would you like to receive additional training or development?

• Let's discuss your current performance. What strengths do you identify? And in which areas do you believe you need to improve?

• Let's talk about the results you have been achieving. How do you assess your performance in relation to the established goals and objectives?

🟣 PDI Follow-up: Tracking the Progress of the Individual Development Plan

Review the progress of the Individual Development Plan (IDP), highlighting areas of achievement and current focus action plans. Identify recent learnings to be applied in the work and check for any necessary adjustments in the plan. Provide support and determine the next steps until the next meeting.

• Based on our last conversation, what were the most relevant points discussed regarding your Individual Development Plan (IDP)?

• In which development area and which action plans are currently your main focus? Could you share the reasons behind this choice?

• From the recent learnings you've acquired, which one would you like to put into practice in your work? How, when, and with whom do you intend to apply it?

• Was there any previously planned action that needs adjustment? If so, could you inform me about it?

• Is there any area where you need my help or guidance?

• What will be the main areas of focus until our next meeting? Which areas do you intend to prioritize, and what goals do you want to achieve?

🟣 Results: Assessing the Progress of OKRs/Goals

Evaluate the progress of OKRs/Goals, identifying potential obstacles and seeking solutions to achieve the objectives. Discuss the project's status, identify improvements, and establish an action plan to stay on top of priorities. Verify goal clarity and analyze the action plan in relation to established timelines.

• How are your OKRs/Goals going? Are you on track to achieve them?

• Is there anything that is preventing you from reaching your goals, priorities, or completing your projects? And how can we solve this problem together?

• How is the project you're involved in going? Is there anything we could have done to improve its development or results?

• Is there any priority or goal that is unclear to you? Can we provide better clarification on your objectives and expectations?

• What is your action plan to achieve this goal or complete this project? How is the progress? Are there any tasks or activities that are behind schedule or need adjustments?

🟣 Career and Mentoring: Exploring Opportunities for Professional Growth and Mentoring

Discuss opportunities for involvement in projects or initiatives, as well as desired areas of specialization. Identify ways in which you can support your team member's professional growth and identify people in the company who can act as mentors. Explore medium and long-term career goals and assess whether the career is progressing as expected.

• Is there any project or initiative in the company that you would like to participate in or lead if given the opportunity?

• In which area of your work would you like to specialize, focusing your experiences or receiving formal training?

• How could I help you today in making progress towards these goals?

• Who do you admire in the company? How could that person help you in your professional development?

• What would you like to be doing professionally in 3/5/10 years?

• What are your medium/long-term career goals? Have you thought about them?

• Do you feel that you are making progress towards these goals? How do you assess your development so far?

• Do you believe your career is advancing at the pace you expect?

• If you won the lottery, how would you like to spend your days? How would you use your time meaningfully and gratifyingly?

👉 In this second part, we will address subjects aimed at gathering information. These questions can be applied during moments such as mapping the employee's experience in the company, feedback on leadership and/or team, and also during hiring processes to better understand the individual and their expectations.

🟣 Company Insights: Collecting Feedback on the Company and Organizational Culture

Gather feedback on what is working well and what needs improvement in the company. Identify missed opportunities in the market and collect suggestions to enhance the product or services. Explore potential changes in the organizational culture and discover aspects of the current culture that are valued by the employee.

• What is working well in the company?

• What is not working well in the company?

• What opportunities are we missing in the market?

• What would we be crazy not to do to improve our product in the coming months?

• If you were the CEO, what would you change here?

• If you were in my position, what would you change here?

• Is there any aspect of our culture (values, behaviors, specificities) that you would like to change?

• What aspects of our culture (values, behaviors, specificities) do you love?

• Do you feel that you are doing what you do best here?

• Do you feel that you are being "well-utilized" in relation to your potential here?

• What would make you leave here to accept a job elsewhere?

• What do you think are the long-term prospects of our company?

• What is the number one problem in our company?

• How often do you find the meetings here to be productive?

• How often do you find the meetings here to be unproductive?

• Do you think we treat our customers well?

🟣 Team Insights: Assessing Team Dynamics and Collaboration

Evaluate the employee's perception of the team, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. Discuss collaboration within the team, identifying colleagues with whom the employee would like to work more or with whom they have more difficulty. Identify opportunities to strengthen team synergy and improve communication and collaboration.

• How do you feel about the team?

• With whom do you find it most challenging to work?

• How would you describe our team: more collaborative or more competitive?

• Who is standing out in the team?

• Who is being more cautious in the team?

• Who is underperforming in the team?

• Is everyone contributing adequately?

• With whom would you like to work more frequently?

• Do you feel that your ideas are being heard?

• Whom do you admire in the team?

• What do you think we should change about how our team works together?

• What makes someone a good fit for our team?

• What makes someone not a good fit for our team?

• How would you assess these characteristics in an interview?

• What processes and rituals would you create to strengthen these characteristics and behaviors?

• Do you usually collaborate with your colleagues? Do they collaborate with you?

• What is the biggest thing you would like to change about our team?

• Has any team member ever made you feel uncomfortable? Have you ever been humiliated or disrespected?

🟣 Leadership Insights: Collecting Feedback on Leadership Style

Get feedback on your leadership style, asking what you can do to make the life of your team members easier and make work more enjoyable. Find out if there are areas where you can provide more support to your team members and gather suggestions to improve your own leadership style. Assess how the team perceives your leadership style and identify opportunities for personal growth.

• What could I do to make your life easier?

• What do you think of my leadership style?

• What would you change about my leadership style?

• What could I do to make your work more enjoyable?

• What could I do to support you more?

• What don't you know about me that you would like to know?

• What do you think our team thinks about my leadership style? What would they say I need to improve on?

🟣 Personal Life Information: Getting to Know the Employee's Personal Life and Well-being

Show interest in the employee's personal life by asking how they have been, how their life is outside of work, their family life, and what their hobbies are. Identify ways to improve the balance between personal and professional life and explore ways to promote well-being in the workplace.

• How have you been feeling lately?

• How is your life outside of work?

• How are things at home?

• How is your family life?

• What have you been doing for fun? How have you been spending your free time? How have you been dealing with stress?

• What are your current hobbies?

• How is your work-life balance?

• What could we do at work to improve your personal quality of life?

• How were your vacation/last weekend? What did you do that was enjoyable?

🟣 Work Habits Information about Your Team Member: Understanding Productivity and Work Habits

• Explore your team member's work habits, such as their peak energy and concentration times throughout the day. Identify ways to optimize their daily work routine by aligning important tasks with periods of high productivity. Discover the main energy and time drains during the week and discuss ways to improve the work environment to promote efficiency.

• At what time of day do you feel most energized?

• At what time of day do you find it easier to concentrate?

• How could we rearrange your work schedule to make the most of these moments?

• What are three items you would like to acquire to improve your productivity?

• Describe an ideal workday for you. Share your schedule for that day...

• Provide a suggestion for something simple and cost-effective we could do in the office to improve the work environment.

• What are the main sources of energy and time loss during the week for you?

• What motivates you to work on a project?

• When you encounter a blockage, how do you overcome it? Who do you turn to for help? How do you request assistance? What do you research or refer to?

• Which parts of your work routine are currently functioning well? What could be improved?

• Is there any forum, discussion, or meeting you would like to participate in to enhance your work?