Writing
On 1:1s
Practical ideas for preparing, listening, and following through in your one-on-ones.

Meet Mora
What Mora does with your 1:1 notes, what she refuses to do, and why she says nothing during the meeting itself.
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ManifestoWhy we’re building this
5 minWe want managers to go into 1:1’s fully aware that a big part of what they’re doing is making their direct reports ready for the next role they have, here or somewhere else.
POVPerformance reviews are broken. 52 good 1:1s aren't.
6 minAn argument against the annual performance review — and for the cumulative, weekly, slow-build alternative that's been hiding in plain sight.
ManifestoThe 1:1 is sacred. Stop treating it like a status update.
7 minAn argument for taking the weekly 1:1 seriously — not because HR says so, but because it's the one place the work isn't the point.
EmpathyWhat your direct report really wants you to ask
6 minEight questions your direct report has been hoping you'd ask — and why "how's your week going" is almost never one of them.
TacticalYour first 1:1 as a new manager — an annotated script
7 minA real first-1:1 script, line by line, with commentary on what each question is doing and what to listen for in the answer.
TacticalHow to prep for a 1:1 in five minutes (without phoning it in)
4 minA real five-minute prep checklist for the weekly 1:1 — what to think about, what to bring, and what to leave out.