Get to know the person
- What does a good week look like for you?
- How do you prefer to get feedback — in the moment or saved for our 1:1?
- What are you hoping to learn or grow toward this year?
1:1 questions
1:1 questions for new managers building their first cadence
Your first 1:1s set the tone for the relationship. These questions help a new manager build trust, understand how each person works best, and start the follow-through habit early instead of learning it the hard way.
Copyable template
Use this manually, or let EvalSuite capture it automatically from real meetings.
Set up the relationship
- What is one thing I could do that would make your work easier?
- How do you want us to use this 1:1 time together?
- What should I follow up on for you before we next meet?
Lead with learning, not direction
New managers often feel pressure to have answers. The higher-leverage move early on is to understand each person — how they work, what motivates them, and what support actually helps.
- How do you like to receive feedback and recognition?
- What does great support from a manager look like to you?
- What is something I should know about how you work best?
Make and keep small commitments
Trust is built by following through on small things. End early 1:1s with a commitment or two you can keep, and make sure they do not get lost between meetings.
Start the follow-through habit now
The habit that separates strong managers is remembering what was said and acting on it. When 1:1 notes, action items, and commitments are captured from the start, follow-through becomes the default instead of an aspiration.
Workflow example
A new manager closes their first 1:1 with "here are the two things I’ll follow up on for you" — and those commitments are waiting at the top of the next 1:1 so nothing quietly slips.
Example output
The visible output should be concrete enough to inspect.
- A clear read on how each person works best
- One or two manager commitments to keep
- Early trust built through follow-through
- A repeatable cadence from week one
Related and canonical pages
This page links to related acquisition pages and canonical docs instead of duplicating support content.
- /solutions/one-on-one-meeting-tracker
- /solutions/manager-coaching-workspace
- /resources/templates/one-on-one-meeting-template
- /resources/coaching-prompts/accountability
- /demo
- /solutions/one-on-one-meeting-tracker
- /help/faq
Use this manually, or keep the loop in EvalSuite
EvalSuite adds the durable layer: capture, follow-through, history, and review-ready context.