One-on-One Meetings Reduce Employee Quitting

Cathie Leimbach • July 18, 2023

The role of a people manager or supervisor is to achieve organizational goals through the work of other people.  The leaders' success is usually measured by the results achieved by their team. With this in mind, highly successful leaders proactively support each of their team members to be successful. They tend to hold regular one-on-one meetings with each employee, increasing both productivity and retention.


Because team members have differing experiences, responsibilities, strengths, weaknesses, and personalities, the best way to support their unique contributions and needs is to have regular one-on-one meetings.  When employees have quality weekly one-on-ones with their manager, they are more likely to be clear on what is expected of them, share where they are struggling, get answers to their important but not urgent questions, and receive relevant training to enhance their skills.  This increases the individual's and the organization's productivity and morale. 


During one-on-one meetings the manager can learn something about the employee's personal life, give specific praise for areas of employee success, and provide constructive support in areas of uncertainty or underperformance.  This helps the employee feel valued and respected, reducing employee quitting and improving their work quality and quantity.


Ideally, most of the one-on-one meeting is spent on the employee's agenda.  Rapport is built when the first few minutes is used for  personal updates or interests.  Then, the manager can ask, "What would you like to talk about during out time together?" Now, the employee has the floor for whatever is on their mind.  The employee may provide a progress report, clarify expectations, or get help overcoming a stumbling block.  Sometimes, they may share a family challenge that is interfering with their focus at work. Another important question for the manager to ask is, "How can I help you be successful this week?"  This gives an employee permission to ask their leader to remove an obstacle whether it is bureaucracy, information, or time. 


Many organizations find that 30-minute one-on-ones provide the most effective balance of having enough time for meaningful discussion and not taking too much time away from revenue-generating activities.  If that seems far too long for you, even 10-minute employee-focused one-on-ones can yield great results. 


One-on-ones don't waste time.  They are so effective at increasing morale and productivity that they may generate the highest rate of return on your payroll dollars.  


When could you start having weekly one-on-ones with each of your employees to reduce turnover and improve productivity?  Register for - and attend - our free 45-minute webinar “3 Tips to Reduce Employee Quitting”.   

4 Leadership Behaviors That Drive Trust, Performance, and Accountability

By Cathie Leimbach • March 31, 2026
Most leaders don’t struggle because they lack knowledge. They struggle because leadership opportunities show up in daily conversations —and those moments are easy to miss. The difference between average and high-performing teams often comes down to four leadership behaviors: 1. Build Trust Through Everyday Conversations Trust is built in small moments. Listen to concerns Ask thoughtful questions Follow through Address issues quickly and respectfully 🤝 Trust grows through consistent, everyday conversations. 2. Reinforce What Good Looks Like People repeat what gets recognized. Be specific: “I appreciated how you handled that client issue quickly—that made a difference.” 🔒 Clarity + recognition = stronger performance. 3. Address Problems Early—Kindly and Clearly Avoiding issues creates bigger ones. Keep it simple: What was expected? What happened? What needs to change? 👥 Clear, timely conversations reduce drama and improve results. 4. Support People So They Can Succeed Your role is to help your team succeed. Clarify priorities Remove obstacles Provide resources Coach progress 🔍 When people have clarity and support, performance follows. The Real Lever: Conversations None of this requires new systems. It happens in everyday interactions— 1:1s, quick check-ins, and follow-ups. Better conversations → better results. Quick Reflection Which one would make the biggest difference for you right now? Build trust Reinforce performance Address problems early Support success 👉 Join our next 60-minute Leadership Conversation – Inspiring Employee Performance on Monday, April 6, at 3:00 pm ET. Not a webinar. A working session with other leaders looking at what’s actually happening on their teams—and how small shifts in daily conversations change performance fast. If you're curious what even a 10% shift in consistency could look like for your team… this is a good place to start.

Three Small Shifts That Change Everything

By Cathie Leimbach • March 24, 2026
You don’t need to make big changes in your leadership practices to get better results. Often, it’s small shifts in everyday leadership conversations that quietly change how work gets done. Here are three that work:  1. Make priorities clear Start meetings by stating current priorities. That creates focus right away and helps conversations stay on topic. 2. Ask instead of solve Instead of answering an employee’s questions, ask, “What are your suggestions?” Such questions encourage employee thinking and stronger follow-through. 3. Hold short monthly one-on-one check-ins Meeting with each employee one-on-one allows the regular review of goals, progress, and obstacles. These short conversations surface issues early and keep everyone aligned. These small habits keep teams steady and focused. Your challenge this month: Pick one shift and try it. Notice what changes in clarity, buy-in, or accountability. Sometimes the difference between teams that struggle and teams that move smoothly comes down to a few simple leadership conversations happening consistently. 👉 Join our 60-minute Leadership Conversation on March 30th at 3:00 PM to see how small shifts in everyday leadership conversations can quickly improve clarity, ownership, and results.