Your first one-to-one as a new manager
Your first one-to-one is not a performance review. It is your opportunity to understand the person, establish how you will work together and begin building trust.
New managers often feel they need to do most of the talking. In this conversation, the opposite is usually more useful. Go in with a simple structure, ask open questions and listen for what helps this person perform well.
1. Prepare with a purpose
Know what you need from the conversation: an understanding of the person's role, priorities, strengths, current obstacles and expectations of you as their manager. Avoid turning up with a long list of instructions.
2. Create a safe, straightforward opening
Explain that the conversation is about understanding their work and how you can work effectively together. If you were previously peers, acknowledge that the working relationship has changed without making the conversation unnecessarily formal.
3. Ask questions that reveal useful information
- What is going well at the moment?
- What gets in the way of doing your job well?
- What should I understand about your role that may not be obvious?
- Where do you want more clarity, support or autonomy?
- What is the most useful thing I can do as your manager?
4. Listen before solving
You do not need to resolve every issue during the meeting. Ask follow-up questions, distinguish facts from assumptions and make a note of commitments that genuinely require action.
5. Agree what happens next
Finish with clear actions. If you promised to check something, say when you will come back. If the employee owns the next action, make that equally clear. Reliability after the conversation matters more than an impressive conversation itself.
What to avoid
Avoid dominating the discussion, comparing the person with colleagues, promising changes you cannot authorise, using the meeting to demonstrate expertise or turning every concern into advice. The aim is to establish a useful management relationship, not to prove that you have all the answers.
A simple 30-minute structure
- 5 minutes: purpose and opening.
- 15 minutes: their role, priorities, strengths and obstacles.
- 5 minutes: how you can work together effectively.
- 5 minutes: actions, commitments and follow-up.
Want a broader first-30-days system?
First 30 brings the core early-management priorities together into one focused programme, including understanding the management role, owning the numbers and building practical habits for the first month.
Explore First 30