Something to doWorking with others
Map what your team needs from you
A simple exercise for managers to see where your understanding of your team is thinnest, and start there
Why it’s worth your time
Managers often know their people's work far better than they know what each person needs from them. Rating your own understanding next to how much someone's work depends on you shows where you're relying on a guess when it matters most. The second number is about you, not them, and the fix is a 1:1 spent on their needs instead of status.
How to find out what your direct reports need from you
You’ll come away with an order for 1:1s about each person's needs, starting where you know least.
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- Start with everyone your team runs on.
Each person who reports to you, plus the two or three partners outside the team whose work yours depends on most, like the peer manager whose team you hand off to.
Tip: Keep this for yourself. It isn't a performance tool, it doesn't go to HR or your boss, and both numbers describe the moment and your own knowledge, never the person.
- Rate the moment, then your own understanding.
How much their work needs you right now: 1 = they're running well on their own, 3 = they need me for some decisions or unblocking, 5 = their work stalls without me this quarter. How well you know what they need from you: 1 = I'd be guessing, 3 = I know some of it but haven't asked lately, 5 = they've told me recently, in their own words.
Tip: A high first number is about the work, not a weakness. New people, people on the hardest project and people in the middle of a change will all score high, and should.
- Jot down your 1:1 order.
Start with whoever's work needs you most and whose needs you know least, biggest gap first. Anyone who's a 5 on the first number and a 1 or 2 on the second goes to the top this week.
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- Spend their next 1:1 on them, not status.
Tell them ahead that you'd like the time to be about what they need. Ask what's making their work harder right now, what they'd like more or less of from you, and how they like to hear from you. Then mostly listen.
To: someone on your teamFor our next 1:1, I'd like to skip status and spend the time on you: what's making your work harder right now, and what you'd like more or less of from me.
No prep needed. If something comes to mind before then, bring it, and if this week isn't a good one for it, we can do it next time.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud.Tip: Write down what they said in their own words. That's what turns the second number into a 5 next quarter.
- Redo it each quarter.
Projects end, people grow into roles, new people arrive. The person who needed you most last quarter may need you least now, and that's often good news.
Good moments for this: at the start of each quarterwhen someone joins or leaves the teamwhen you inherit a team
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
A 1 on knowing what someone needs is a note to yourself about where to ask, not a verdict on how they communicate. Some people say little until asked directly, and that's a style, not a problem.
What might make this harder
Do your direct reports first and the partners next month. Five good 1:1s beat twelve hurried ones.
Questions people ask
How do I find out what my employees need from me?
Ask, in a 1:1 that isn't about status. Questions about what's in their way, what would help most from you, and how they prefer to hear from you open it up. Then write down their answers in their words.
What questions should a manager ask in a 1:1?
What's getting in your way right now? What would help you most from me? How do you like to get feedback? Move status into writing so the time goes to these.
How do I prioritize my time across my team as a manager?
Look at whose work needs you most right now and whose needs you understand least. The biggest gap between those two is usually where an hour of your time does the most good.
Is it okay to spend more 1:1 time with some reports than others?
For a while, yes, if it follows what the work needs right now. Keep everyone's regular 1:1, and let the extra time move as needs change.
Why this works, and where it comes from
What someone needs from their manager is easy to assume and rarely said out loud. One person wants more context, another wants fewer check-ins, a third wants a decision they've been waiting on for two weeks. Without asking, it's natural to give everyone the kind of support you'd want yourself.
Putting two numbers side by side changes the question from who's doing well to where your understanding is thinnest, at the moment it matters most. That's why the first number is about the work right now and the second is about you. Someone new, or carrying the riskiest project, will score high on the first, which says nothing about their ability.
For most people, a 1:1 that's explicitly about them is less common than you'd think. Many people never tell their manager what would help, because they assume it's obvious, or not their place, or that nothing will change. When you ask directly and act on one thing they said, you've shown them that telling you works. The next problem then tends to arrive earlier, while it's still small.
This isn't the move in a week of real crisis, when everyone needs you to make decisions and clear the path. Do that first. In ordinary weeks, though, one round of these conversations each quarter is one of the cheapest ways to become the manager people want to tell things to.
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated October 23, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.