The one-on-ones that I have with my team are some of my favorite meetings of the week. I get to hear about what’s going on in their lives, support them through decisions or issues they’re facing at work, and coach them to help them reach their career goals. They’re extremely valuable and enjoyable meetings, but they weren’t always like that.
I can clearly remember two distinct periods in time when my one-on-ones were just plain awkward: when I first started having them with my manager as an engineer many years ago, ...
