Online Course for Managers
One-on-ones
that actually
work.
Structure, agenda design, and the skill of surfacing what matters before it becomes urgent.
4
Core
Modules
Modules
Structure, agenda design, and the skill of surfacing what matters before it becomes urgent.
The calendar block is there every week. You show up. Your direct report shows up. You cover status updates, talk through blockers, and then the hour ends. But by Wednesday you realize you still don't know whether they're struggling, whether a project is quietly off track, or whether they're thinking about leaving.
One-on-ones are one of the highest-leverage tools a manager has. Most managers underuse them because no one ever taught them how to run one well.
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Weekly meetings that stay at the surface never surface what's underneath.
A one-on-one without structure drifts. This module gives you a repeatable format that creates consistency without rigidity. You'll learn how to open in a way that signals this is a space for real conversation, not a status report.
Module detailsMost managers own the agenda entirely. This module teaches a shared agenda model where both parties contribute topics in advance. The result is a meeting both people actually prepare for.
Module detailsThere's a difference between listening and making someone feel listened to. This module covers the specific techniques that shift how your direct reports experience the conversation, including how to respond when what they share is difficult.
Module detailsCrises rarely appear without warning. They develop quietly while managers focus elsewhere. This module teaches you to use the one-on-one as an early detection system, asking the right questions at the right moments to catch problems while they're still manageable.
Module details
This course is not for people who skip one-on-ones or treat them as optional. It's for managers who hold them consistently but feel like the conversations stay shallow. The meeting happens. The real conversation doesn't.
If you manage between two and twelve people, hold regular one-on-ones, and find yourself uncertain whether you actually know what's going on with your team, this course addresses exactly that gap.
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Each module is delivered through focused video lessons. No filler content. Each lesson covers one concept clearly, then gives you something specific to apply in your next meeting.
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Every module includes practical templates: shared agenda formats, question banks for different conversation types, and a one-on-one tracking sheet you can use immediately.
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Work through the course on your own schedule. Access is not time-limited. Return to specific lessons as your situation evolves and your team changes.
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Each module includes real-world scenario walkthroughs showing how the techniques apply in specific, recognizable situations: the quiet high performer, the struggling new hire, the person who always says everything is fine.
When the structure improves, the conversation changes. Your direct reports start bringing real topics. You stop being surprised. Problems surface when they're still small. The meeting becomes something both of you find useful, not just something on the calendar.
See What Changes
Thirty minutes is workable. The course covers how to structure a meeting at different time lengths. A 30-minute one-on-one with clear structure often produces more than an hour-long one that drifts. The goal is not longer meetings but more intentional ones.
The course addresses both in-person and remote contexts. The structural principles apply regardless of medium. There are specific considerations for remote one-on-ones, including how to read engagement through a screen and how to create psychological safety when there's no shared physical space.
The core video content across all four modules runs approximately three to four hours. Most people work through one module per week, applying the techniques in their actual meetings as they go. This paced approach tends to produce better results than completing everything at once.
Module three addresses this directly. Reluctance to open up is almost always a response to the environment the manager has created over time, often unintentionally. The course covers how to rebuild trust incrementally, what to do when someone says "everything is fine," and how to ask questions that make it easier to be honest.
The course works well for new managers who want to build good habits from the beginning. It also works for experienced managers who have been running one-on-ones for years without a clear framework. The content is practical rather than theoretical, so it applies regardless of experience level.
Module four covers how to use the one-on-one to surface problems before they escalate, which inherently involves navigating difficult topics. The course focuses specifically on the one-on-one context rather than difficult conversations in general. You'll learn how to create the conditions where hard things can be said, and how to respond when they are.