Question bank
Questions to Ask Your Manager in a 1:1
Most advice about 1:1 questions is written for managers. This one is for you, the person on the other side of the table. The check-in is your time too, and the right question can turn it from a status update you sit through into a conversation that moves something for you.
If you manage people and want the flip side, the questions to ask your team covers the manager’s end. This page is the mirror image: what to bring when you’re the one being managed. The two are meant to fit together, not repeat each other.
Clarity on priorities and expectations
The fastest way to feel less scattered is to hear, out loud, what matters most right now.
If I could only finish one thing this week, what should it be?
Are my priorities lined up with what you and the team need right now?
What does great work look like in this role, not just good enough?
Is there anything you expected from me that I have not delivered on yet?
What is changing upstream that I should be planning for?
Feedback on your own work
Most managers wait to be asked. Asking first tells them you want to hear it.
What is one thing I am doing well that I should keep doing?
What is one thing I could do differently to be more effective?
Where do you think my work could have more impact?
Is there feedback you have been holding back because it never felt like the right moment?
How am I coming across to the rest of the team?
Career growth and progression
Career talk slips if nobody raises it. A question or two keeps it off the once-a-year track.
What would I need to show to be ready for the next level?
What skills do you think I should be building right now?
Are there projects coming up that would stretch me in a good way?
How do you see my path here over the next year?
Who else should I be learning from, and how would you introduce me?
Understanding the bigger picture
Your manager sees things you do not. Borrowing that view makes your own choices easier.
What is the team most focused on this quarter, and why that?
What is keeping leadership up at night right now?
How does the work I am doing connect to the goals further up?
What is something you wish the team understood better about where we are headed?
What does success look like for you in your role this quarter?
Unblocking and support
Your manager can clear roadblocks you cannot reach. They just have to know about them.
I am stuck on this, can you help me figure out the next move?
Is there a decision I am waiting on that you could help speed up?
What would you do if you were in my position on this one?
Is there anything getting in my way that you have the standing to fix?
I am at capacity right now, can we talk through what comes off the list?
Building the relationship
The check-in is a relationship, not a status report. A few of these make it one.
How do you prefer to hear about problems, early and rough or once I have a plan?
What is the best way to get your attention when something is urgent?
Is there anything I do that makes your job harder without meaning to?
What would make our check-ins more useful for you?
How are you doing, honestly, with everything on your plate?
How to ask without it feeling like a confrontation
A good question lands differently depending on how you frame it. “Why didn’t I get that project?” puts your manager on defense. “What would I need to show to be trusted with something like that?” invites them in. Same underlying ask, very different conversation. When in doubt, ask about the path forward rather than relitigating the past.
You also don’t need to use all of these in one sitting. Pick two or three that match what’s on your mind this week and let the rest wait. A check-in that breathes beats one where you race through a checklist. If something big is coming up, like a promotion conversation, give your manager a heads up so they can think before they answer instead of being put on the spot.
It also helps to walk in prepared. Jotting down what you want to cover beforehand makes the asking easier, which is the whole idea behind preparing for a 1:1 with your manager. And if growth is what you care about most, it’s worth reading how to talk about career growth in a 1:1 before you raise it.
Common questions
What should I ask my manager in a 1:1?
Start with what you want out of the time. If you feel scattered, ask about priorities. If you want to grow, ask what would get you to the next level. If you want to know where you stand, ask for one thing you are doing well and one thing to do differently. Pick a couple of real questions over a long list, and leave room for the conversation to wander.
How many questions should I bring to a 1:1?
Two or three is plenty for a 25 to 30 minute check-in. Firing off ten questions turns the time into an interview and leaves no space for a real back and forth. Choose the ones that matter most this week and save the rest for next time.
What do I ask if I have nothing to talk about?
You almost always have more than you think. Try "what should I be focused on this week?" or "is there any feedback you have been sitting on?" Even "how are you doing?" counts. A check-in with no agenda is still worth keeping, because the relationship is the point.
How do I ask my manager for feedback or start a raise or promotion conversation?
For feedback, keep it specific and low stakes: "what is one thing I could do differently?" is easier to answer than "how am I doing?" For a promotion or raise, do not demand a yes on the spot. Ask what you would need to show to be ready for the next level, then follow up over the next few check-ins as you close that gap. Framing it as a path keeps it a shared problem to work on rather than a demand to push back on.
Bring your questions, keep the answers
The best questions build on what your manager said last time. MeetFika gives you and your manager a shared agenda you both write into, carries your follow-ups forward, and keeps every past check-in within reach, so the next conversation starts where the last one ended.
Free to start on the Starter plan.