What questions should a manager ask in a 1:1?

Mix an opening check-in ("how are you really doing?"), questions that surface blockers ("what have you been stuck on longest?"), a career-growth question, a request for feedback on yourself, and a closing question ("anything I haven’t asked about?"). Open-ended beats yes/no every time.

What is a good opening question for a 1:1?

"How are you doing this week — really?" works because it invites an honest answer instead of a status update. Wait for the real answer rather than rushing into the agenda.

Why are yes/no questions bad in 1:1s?

Questions like "any blockers?" or "everything good?" let the conversation end in one word. Open-ended questions — "what have you been stuck on longest?" — make it easy to say what’s actually going on.

Question bank

1:1 Questions to Ask Your Team

6 min read

The right question turns a 1:1 from a status update into a real conversation. The wrong one gets you “yep, all good” and an awkward silence.

Here’s a bank you can pull from, grouped by what you’re trying to do. You don’t need all of them — pick one or two per section and let the conversation go where it wants.

Opening check-in

Start human before you start working. These get past "fine."

How are you doing this week — really?
What’s your energy like right now, high or running low?
What’s something good that happened, at work or outside it?
On a scale of one to five, how’s your workload feeling?

Work & blockers

Surface what’s in the way without asking the dead-end "any blockers?"

What’s the thing you’ve been stuck on the longest?
What’s slowing you down that I could help clear?
Is there a decision you’re waiting on from me or someone else?
What’s taking more time than it should right now?

Career & growth

Career talk slips if you let it. A question or two keeps it from waiting until review season.

Where do you want to grow this quarter?
What kind of work do you want more of? Less of?
What’s a skill you’d like to build, and what’s one step toward it?
Looking a year out, what would make this a great year for you?

Feedback (both directions)

Ask for feedback on yourself early. It signals you’re open.

What’s something I could do differently as your manager?
Is there anything I’m doing that’s getting in your way?
Where would more (or less) involvement from me help?
What feedback have you been sitting on that you haven’t shared yet?

Closing

The universal closers. You’ll be surprised what surfaces last.

Is there anything I should know that I haven’t asked about?
What’s the one thing you want me to take away from today?
Anything you want to put on the agenda for next time?

Questions that flop

"Any updates?" — Gets a status report, not a conversation.
"Everything good?" — Gets "yep" and ends the thread.
"How’s the project?" — You can read the project tracker yourself.

Once you’ve picked your questions, drop them into the 1:1 agenda template and read how to run a 1:1 to put them to work.

Questions are easier when you remember the answers

The best follow-up question is the one that picks up where last week left off. MeetFika keeps every check-in, carries your follow-ups forward, and surfaces what your teammate flagged — so you walk in already knowing what to ask.

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