Introduction to 1-on-1s

Discover how providing quarterly feedback can build trust and enhance productivity.

Written by Amanda Barfield

Updated at February 5th, 2025

What are Weekly 1-on-1 Meetings?

Once a quarter we schedule a special type of meeting, a 1-on-1 with a leader and a team member. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the previous quarter. The team leader answers questions about the team member and the team member answers questions of their leader. 

This exercise builds trust between the two parties by providing a safe space to discuss the previous quarters wins and learns. 

Team Filtering

Since Weekly 1-1 meetings are between a team member and a team leader, the list of teams automatically filters to teams with only two members.  If you do not currently have a team with only two members, learn how from Creating a New Team.

 

The 1-on-1 form is split into two main sections, Team Member and Team Leader:

  • Team Member Discussion Sections
    • Core Values
    • CCC
    • Performance metrics
    • Notes, strengths, opportunities and development, growth goals
  • Team Leader Discussion Sections
    • Leadership Commitments
    • Coaching Commitments
    • General Notes

Running the 1-1 Weekly Meeting

From within the 1-1 tool, you are taken directly to the Weekly tab where you can schedule, run, and track your 1-1 meetings. This page works the same as the Meetings tool, but provides a filtered view of the meetings for only your weekly 1-1s. For help scheduling or running a weekly 1-1, you can get more information from our Meetings articles. 

 

How 1-on-1s Support the Company

Completing quarterly 1-on-1 meetings between team leader and team member create an environment of trust and support throughout your organization by empowering honest discussion. 

Solely undertaking annual performance reviews has several inherent issues: 

1. Waiting an entire year to let a team member know how things are going is less than optimal because of recency bias or the tendency to focus on recent events or activities rather than overall cultural fit and performance.

2. Annual reviews tend to be one-way conversations rather than constructive dialogue.

3. Leaders miss out on opportunities for coaching, course-correcting, and staying genuinely connected with their team members throughout the year.

 

From, 1-on-1 Meetings.

 

How 1-on-1s Support Ninety's Other Tools

Completing 1-on-1s helps discuss the metrics from the previous quarter. Including how well the Rocks and To-Dos were completed on time, what metrics were met, and which ones weren't. The 1-on-1 meetings create a clean break from the previous quarter and a fresh start into the next. Team members and Team Leaders alike know what they need to work on in the coming quarter and what they did great in the previous quarter. 

 

Helpful Resources

To learn more about our teachings around To-Dos, check out the following: