The One-on-One Series Part 2: The Four Quadrants Every Leader Needs to Cover

The Secret to Great One-on-Ones: The Four Quadrants Every Leader Needs to Cover

If your one-on-ones are starting to feel routine—or worse, like a waste of time—this episode is for you.

In Part 2 of the One-on-One Series, Colby Morris breaks down the four essential quadrants every leader must cover in their one-on-ones to actually drive engagement, performance, and trust. You’ll learn how to structure your meetings with purpose, even if you’re only meeting monthly—and how to adjust your approach based on the number of direct reports you have.

Colby shares real-world stories, practical questions, and a cadence model that works—so your one-on-ones stop feeling like just another meeting and start becoming the leadership moments that shape culture.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between Employee Development and Performance Management—and why most leaders confuse them
• What Maslow’s Hierarchy has to do with leadership
• How Quint Studer’s Leader Rounding can change your feedback loop
• How to tailor your one-on-one cadence based on team size (weekly, biweekly, or monthly)
• What to include every single time—no matter how often you meet

Whether you’re leading 4 or 40, this episode will help you structure your meetings in a way that builds trust, drives clarity, and develops your people.

Resources Mentioned:
Want a copy of the Monthly One-on-One Agenda? Message Colby on LinkedIn or email him to request it.

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Booking Inquiries:
Colby Morris is available for keynotes, leadership team trainings, workshops, webinars, and executive coaching. Whether it’s in person or virtual, small groups or conferences, reach out to discuss availability and options. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is episode two of our one-on-one meeting series
, and if you haven't listened toepisode one yet, hey, hit,
pause, go back.
It's the foundation.
This episode builds on that one.
Now, today we're going to godeeper.
Okay, and I'm guessing ifyou're still here, you're

(00:25):
probably already running one onones, but maybe feeling like
something's missing.
Okay, maybe they feel routine,or you're wondering if you're
covering the right things.
Look, I get it.
I've been there too.
You can have a dozen check-insa month and still feel like

(00:46):
you're missing the mark ifyou're not being intentional
about what you cover.
So let's talk about thestructure.
Okay, this is the structureI've learned to use, often the
hard way, to make sure everyonethat I have a one-on-one with
actually moves the needle.

(01:08):
Okay, we're going to go overthe four quadrants that changed
everything.
Here's what I've discovered.
Great one-on-ones aren't justabout having good questions.
They're about making sureyou're covering the full
spectrum of what your peopleneed from you as their leader.

(01:30):
Okay, I call them the fourquadrants of great one-on-ones.
The first is Maslow's hierarchy.
That's your uh, your wellbeingcheck.
Then there's employeedevelopment, there's performance
management and there's leaderrounding from Quint Studer.
Now, before you think great,another framework to remember.

(01:54):
Let me tell you why thesematter and how they saved me
from pretty big leadership blindspots.
Let's start in quadrant one,which is Maslow's hierarchy.
Okay, this is the human check.
This one's about well-being.
And look, I know it might feeltouchy-feely for some leaders,

(02:17):
but stick with me, you cannotcoach performance if someone's
stuck in survival mode.
Okay, I learned this the hardway with a team member who was
really struggling with some ofher deliverables.
I kept pushing on executionuntil I finally asked hey, how
are you doing as a person rightnow?
Turns out she was dealing witha sick parent and she really

(02:40):
hadn't slept much in weeks.
Well, once we addressed that,we adjusted her workload, we got
her some support.
Her performance came backstronger than ever.
This is where that battery checkquestion from episode one
that's where this lives.
What percent are you at rightnow?

(03:02):
Okay, that's not small talk.
It's Intel that helps you leadthem that day.
Okay, in that moment.
Here's the thing If someone'sat 30% emotionally, you're not
going to coach them the same wayas someone who's at 90% and
ready to take on the world.
It just doesn't happen that way.

(03:24):
All right, let's go to quadranttwo and that's employee
development.
This is the future focus.
Okay, this quadrant is allabout where they're headed, not
just where they are.
Okay, and I'll be honest, thisused to be my weakest area.
I was so focused on gettingthings done that I forgot to ask

(03:46):
my people where they wanted togo.
Now I make sure to ask thingslike hey, what skill do you want
to grow this quarter?
Okay, what part of your joblights you up?
What's something you'd like totake on that you're not doing
right now?
And here's what I learned whenpeople see that you're invested

(04:08):
and you're invested in theirfuture, they're more invested in
the present.
Okay, it's not just about thejob they have, it's about the
leader they're becoming.
Okay, now let me say thisclearly Employee development is
not the same thing asperformance management.

(04:28):
Okay, development is about wherethey're going.
Performance is about where theyare right now.
So let's go to quadrant threeperformance management.
This is the reality check.
Okay, this is where we talkabout expectations.
We talk about the deliverables,how things are actually going.

(04:50):
I know this one makes a lot ofleaders squirm.
Okay, nobody loves having toughconversations about performance
.
But here's what I've learned Ifyou're not talking about
performance in your one-on-ones,you're setting everyone up for
failure, because then the onlytime it comes up is when During

(05:13):
formal reviews, and by then it'stoo late.
I actually had a leader tell meonce I don't want to make our
one-on-ones feel likeperformance reviews.
Look, I get that, but there's adifference between making
someone feel judged and keepingthem informed about how they're
doing.
Regular performance check-insand one-on-ones.

(05:35):
That means no surprises later.
Okay, it means you're both onthe same page about what success
looks like and where they stand.
All right, let's go to quadrantfour, and that is leader
rounding, the game changer.
This one might be new for someof you.

(05:56):
Okay, leader rounding comesfrom a guy named Quint Studer.
He's done incredible work inhealthcare around.
Sorry, operationalizingleadership.
The idea is simple.
You're going to flip the script.
Instead of just evaluating yourpeople, you're going to give
them a chance to evaluate howyou're doing as their leader.

(06:17):
Okay, you're going to askquestions like what's working
well on our team?
Okay, what's getting in yourway?
Do you have what you need to doyour job?
Well, who's doing great work?
That I might not be seeing.
The first time I tried this, I'mgoing to admit I was.
I was pretty nervous.

(06:38):
What if they had nothing goodto say?
What if they gave me feedback?
I didn't want to hear, buthere's what happened.
They started trusting me more.
Okay, because now I wasn't justthe person who evaluated them,
I was someone who, who caredabout getting better at leading

(07:00):
them.
And when you build that kind oftrust, man, everything else
gets easier.
So let's talk about how thisactually works.
Okay, so you've got the fourquadrants.
Now you're probably thinking,colby, I barely have time for

(07:22):
one-on-ones as it is.
How am I supposed to cover allfour areas every time?
Here's the thing you don't needto spend equal time on each one
, but you do need to touch onall four every single time.
Okay, think of it like thisEvery meeting gets a moment of
connection, a moment ofdevelopment, a performance check

(07:43):
and a chance for feedback.
What changes is where you leanin, based on what's needed at
the moment?
Let me show you how I thinkabout cadence.
If you have fewer than 10direct reports, then you need to
be having weekly one-on-ones.

(08:03):
Lucky you, this is the sweetspot you can meet weekly and
really build momentum.
Okay, here's my rhythm Weeksone through three.
I'm going to touch all fourquadrants, but lean into one

(08:24):
based on what's needed, and thenin week four, I'm going to go
deeper with a structured monthlyrounding session, and that
gives you the flexibility to beresponsive while still being
comprehensive.
Does that make sense?
Now, if you have 10 or moredirect reports, you're going to
have biweekly one-on-ones.

(08:44):
Okay, same principle appliesEvery meeting hits all four
areas, but you're meeting everyother week, so you need to be
more intentional about what youdive into.
And then, once a month, you doa deeper, more structured
session that really kind ofzooms out and looks at that

(09:09):
bigger picture.
Now, if you have a large team,you're probably only doing
monthly one-on-ones, and thiswas challenging, I'll admit.
If you can only meet once permonth, that meeting has to carry
a lot of weight.
You can't waste it on statusupdates or small talk.
It needs to be structured,intentional and built to hit all

(09:33):
four quadrants with realpurpose.
This is where having a solidagenda becomes crucial and, by
the way, if you want a copy ofthe agendas that I use the
questions I ask, I'm happy toshare that with you.
We'll talk about that at theend of the show.
Let's talk about your next steps.

(09:53):
Look, I know this might feellike a lot, okay, but here's the
truth.
Your one-on-ones are whereleadership actually happens.
They're where culture getsbuilt or broken, okay.
It's where trust getsstrengthened or eroded.
So here's what I'd love for youto try this week Look at your

(10:18):
last few one-on-ones.
Were you hitting all fourquadrants?
Pick one area you've beenmissing and focus on adding it
to your next meeting and askyourself am I talking with my
people or at them?
And remember, this isn't aboutperfection, it's about intention

(10:41):
.
It's about showing up for yourpeople in a way that helps them
grow, helps them perform andtrust you as their leader.
Again, if you want thoseagendas I mentioned, or if you
want to share how this isworking for you, connect with me
on LinkedIn.
I read literally every singlemessage that comes in every day,

(11:05):
every week, and if this episodehelped you think differently
about your one-on-ones, wouldyou do me a favor and just share
it with another leader whomight need it, who might be
looking at changing theirone-on-ones, someone who might
need to refresh that process?
Because leadership is not builtin boardrooms.

(11:25):
It's built in moments likethese, when we choose to show up
differently for the people welead.
And you know why Because thoseare the things that leaders do.

Speaker 2 (11:43):
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do.
If you're looking for more tipson how to be a better leader,
be sure to subscribe to thepodcast and listen to next
week's episode.
Until next time, keep workingon being a better leader by
doing the things that leaders do.