First, they create human connection between you and your manager.

  1. That doesn’t mean you spend the whole time talking about your hobbies or families or making small talk about the weekend.
  2. But letting your manager into your life a little bit is important, because when there are stressful things happening, it will be much easier to ask your manager for time off or tell him what you need if he has context on you as a person.
  3. Being an introvert is not an excuse for making no effort to treat people like real human beings, however. The bedrock of strong teams is human connection, which leads to trust.

Second, 1-1 is a regular opportunity for you to speak privately with your manager.

  1. Expect your 1-1s to be scheduled with some predictability. So that you can plan for them, because it is not your manager’s job to completely control the 1-1 agenda.
  2. That’s OK, don’t do 1-1s regularly, or only do every few weeks. So long as you don’t eliminate them completely.
  3. Ask more, if you find that you want to meet more frequently.
  4. Good 1-1s are not status meetings.
    1. If your 1-1 is a dreadful obligation for delivering a boring status report, try using email or chat for that purpose instead to free up the time, and bringing some topics of your own to the 1-1.
  5. Come with an agenda of things you would like to discuss. Share the responsibility of having good 1-1s with your manager.
  6. Ensure Your 1-1. If your manager cancels or reschedules on you regularly, push him to find a time that is more stable, or verify the day before (or that morning, for an afternoon meeting) that you will be meeting and share with him anything you are interested in discussing so he knows you want to meet.