Build your one on one template, then score the one you run today
You run one on ones because every management book says to. Whether they are any good is a harder question, and most leaders answer it with a guess. This page gives you two things without asking for an email.
First, a score from 0 to 100 and a level that names the kind of meeting you are actually running, from a status update with a nicer name to a calibration where people hear where they stand. Second, a one on one meeting template built from twelve statements about how your meetings went in the last 30 days, not how you intend them to go, shown on your result page.
The twelve statements cover four things: whether the slot holds, who owns the agenda, whether anything uncomfortable gets said, and whether what you agree gets done. Any dimension that scores 50 or below adds a block to your template, so the agenda you get is tuned to the gap you have, not a generic list. It takes about four minutes. Answer about what happened, not what you meant to do.
1:1 Meeting Builder and Score
How do I run a one on one that is not a status update, and is mine any good?
What you get
- Your score out of 100
- Which of the 4 results you land on
- Scores across Cadence, Ownership, Depth and Follow-through
- Your strongest dimension and your gap, and where to start
Email me this result
Optional. Your score is already on screen. Enter your details and a copy of this result, your score, your level and your four dimension scores, is sent to you.
Done. Your result is on its way.
Related tools
The four results
Every completed run lands on one of these pages, with your own scores drawn from the link the tool gives you. Each one is readable without taking the tool.
- Status UpdateStatus meetings with a nicer name.
- Check InWarm, well liked, and nothing changes between meetings.
- Working SessionThings get decided. Nobody hears where they stand.
- CalibrationThe one on one most leaders describe and few run.
How this differs
The live One on One diagnostic is a diagnostic only, sits on a nested URL and gates its result behind an email. This page is the template first and the score second, and both are open.
What happens to your responses
Your score, your result and your dimension scores are shown on screen without an email address. An anonymous copy of the score and the dimension scores, with no name, email or free text, joins the aggregate statistics for this tool, which are published only when a cut has at least 30 completions. Email is optional. Only if you ask for the result by email is it written to your contact record, and only then. The full rules are on the methodology page.
Common questions
Do I need to give an email to get the template or my score?
No. The score, the level, the four dimension scores and the template are all open. The only time an email is asked for is if you want a copy of the result sent to you: the link to your result page and your score, nothing else. Nothing on this page is held back until you do.
How is the one on one score calculated?
Twelve statements on a 1 to 5 scale, three per dimension. Two items are reversed so that agreeing scores lower. The total is scaled to 0 to 100 and lands in one of four levels: Status Update, Check In, Working Session or Calibration. Each dimension is scaled the same way, and the lowest one is your Gap.
What is in the one on one meeting template?
Every template has a header, an agenda split between their items, your items and the next step, and two closing lines: one action each and the date of the next meeting. Any dimension you score at 50 or below adds a block for it, such as a rule for protecting the slot or three opening prompts that hand the first ten minutes to your report.
Should I answer for how I want to run one on ones or how I actually run them?
How you actually ran them in the last 30 days. Every statement is about what happened, not what you intend. If you answer for the meeting you would like to run, you get a template for a leader you are not yet, and it will not fit the gap you have. Honest answers give you a shorter, more useful agenda.
How often should a one on one happen and how long should it be?
The instrument scores you against a floor of at least 30 minutes, alone, at least every two weeks, at a fixed time that moves fewer than one time in four. That is the cadence most leaders can hold. Weekly is better where you can protect it. A meeting that keeps moving teaches your report not to prepare, which costs more than a shorter slot.
Related tools
- One on One Meeting QuestionsReference. Questions that make a one on one worth having.
- Span of Control Calculator2 min. How many people can I actually lead well, and am I past it?
- Management Style Quiz4 min. What is my management style, and what does it cost my team?
- Communication Style Quiz for Leaders4 min. What is my communication style and why do people misread me?
- 5 Minute LeaderProgramme. Execution standards for leaders.
- CEO MastermindProgramme. A peer group for CEOs.
- Leadership Assessment GuideReference. How to assess leadership, and which tool to use.
The numbers behind this tool
Aggregate results are published at One on One Meeting Statistics: Leader Benchmark once a cut reaches 30 completions, under the Leadership Readiness Index methodology. More free tools are at the tools shelf.