⚡ Use these to help plan 1:1s with your manager.

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| Understanding What’s Expected Of You | If new to a role, you have a new manager, or it’s the start of a planning cycle — I’d run this as a dedicated 1:1 session and only talk through the below.

*I’d love to understand how my work fits into the bigger picture and to work with you on crystallising exactly what’s expected of me in my role.

To the extent that you can, please walk me through: (1) The big priorities for the company this year (and high level vision / strategy if it exists) (2) Our team’s plan to help deliver on that (3) How my individual projects / tasks / responsibilities contribute

Can we work together to document a few goals and deliverables for me:* (1) this quarter (2) this year | | --- | --- | | Asking for Guidance & Input | *• "I'm struggling with [specific issue]. Here’s what I’ve done so far. Can you give me some guidance on how to approach it differently?”

• "Could you give me an example of what 'great' looks like for [project/task]?"

• "What does the end product look like in your mind for this task? This will help me plan my approach."

• "I have a few ways I’m considering to tackle X challenge, but I'd love your perspective on which is the smartest move."

• "I'm stuck on [decision point]. Here are the options I'm considering [list], what's your POV?"* | | Clarifying Priorities & Adjusting Workload | *• "With everything on my plate, can we make sure I'm focused on the top 3 priorities - here’s how I’ve stacked ranked my top 3, would you change anything?"

• "Could you help me prioritize my tasks for this week? I want to make sure I'm focusing on the most important things."

• "Are my expectations for this project aligned with yours? I want to make sure I'm on the right track."

• "I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by my workload. Could we discuss some strategies for better managing it?”

• "Looks like team/org priorities have changed - I want to make sure my projects are aligned with what's actually having impact. Can we review together?”

• "I'm interested in taking on more responsibility, but don’t want to stretch myself too much. What do you think?"* | | Getting Feedback on Your Work & Performance | *• "I'd love to get your feedback on [recent piece of work]. What went well, and where can I improve?"

•"I did a self-assessment of [project]. I’ll walk you through what I think worked/didn’t. Then can you talk me through the same from your POV?"*

*• "I’m looking for honest feedback with this question so please be really candid, how do you think [project/task] went?

• "Beyond just meeting deadlines, what are a few things I could do to take my work to the next level?"* | | Aligning with the Organisation & Strategy | If starting a new role, recommend running this as a dedicated session in the first few weeks. Good idea to refresh every quarter / half year:

*• "How does my work fit into the team's overall goals for this quarter?"

• "What are the bigger goals/problems on the leadership team's radar that might impact my projects?"

• "I want to make sure my work fits into the bigger picture. Can you help me understand how [project X] supports the overall company strategy?"

• "Are there any upcoming shifts in our strategic focus that I should be prepping for?”

• "I noticed [trend happening in the company/industry]. Is there any way I could get involved in that?"* | | Communicate About How We Communicate

| Recommend running this as a dedicated session in the first month of a new job / new manager.

*• “Tell me about you at your best at work — what conditions are in place? How are people communicating with you?

• "Walk me through each communication channel (email, chat, meeting, desk chat, 1:1s) and your likes/dislikes for each one, which to use for urgent vs non-urgent etc”*

*• "What are some things people do when communicating with you that you find annoying or make your life hard?”

• "Walk me through your calendar blocks and when you prefer I schedule meetings with you vs when you don’t want meetings scheduled.”

• "How do you want me to keep you updated on the projects and work I’m leading (eg weekly status email, desk update etc)"

• “Can you walk me through which decisions I should make independently and which I should bring you in on?”

• “What are your feedback preferences: realtime vs consolidated, in-person vs in writing etc”

• "How do you want me to get in touch with you if we’re at deadline, and I’m still waiting on a response or approval from you?"*

• "Are there times you don’t want to be disturbed with questions? What’s the signal? (eg focus block in calendar, headphones on)" | | Earning Trust & Relationship Building | Start with a quick check-in to understand broader context that might be affecting your manager’s week:

*• "What’s been going on in your world this week" or "crazy week, huh?" or a simple “how’re you doing this week?”

• ”Did you have a chance to read the status email I sent or would you like me to run you through progress on a few things?”*

Great to ask these now and again:

• "On how we communicate - is there anything I’m doing that I could change to make it smoother for you?" or "What's the best way to keep you updated on [project]?”

• "What are the big rocks you’re working on right now?”

Use the below with caution, keeping your workload in mind:

• "Is there anything I can do to better support you or the team?”

• “What keeps you up at night? Is there anything I can take off your plate?” | | Career Advancement & Growth | Personally I recommending doing these conversations as seperate, dedicated meetings and sending questions in advance so your manager has time to prepare thoughtful responses. It also helps to have (and update) a Personal Development Plan (PDP) that you can share and review with your manager every 6 months.

*• "What's one area where I've grown the most in the past quarter?"

• "You've seen my work evolve. What skills or experiences would set me up well for the next step?"

• "I want to make sure I'm adding as much value as possible. Are there any skills gaps on the team I could help fill?”

•"I'm interested in eventually moving into a [type of role]. What skills should I focus on building now?"

• "I want to level up on Z skill. Can you suggest resources, or maybe a project to stretch myself with?”

• "Could you recommend a mentor within the org who could offer guidance on [area I want to learn more about]?"

• "Longer-term, I'm interested in [where you want to be in 5 years]. What steps can I take now to make that a reality?"

•* "Could you share some insights on potential career paths within the company that align with my interests?" ** |