Run the Week-Two Manager 1:1 Like a Pro
Three questions, two to skip, the one to never wait until week 6 for.
- Step 1
Schedule it for 30 minutes, plan to use 25
Padding the end of a 1:1 with five minutes of buffer feels generous and is. It also signals you respect their time. Most week-two 1:1s feel rushed at minute 28 and weird at minute 33. Aim for closure at minute 25 and you will leave the room with the meeting they remember.
- Step 2
Ask what success looks like at day 90
Most managers have not articulated this clearly even to themselves. Asking forces them to. The first answer will be rough. Write it down and bring it back at week 4 with the question 'is this still right?' Iteration is the goal.
- Step 3
Ask who you should know in 30 days
This question pulls the unspoken org chart out of their head. You will get 5-10 names. Schedule 1:1s with each by week 4. Use your manager's name in the intro: 'Eli mentioned I should connect.' Most people respond inside 24 hours when invoked correctly.
- Step 4
Calibrate now, not in week 6
If anything in the conversation does not match what you understood in the interview, raise it now. Not in week 6. Mismatches in week 2 are easy to recalibrate. The same mismatch in month 6 is a renegotiation.
- Step 5
Send a 3-line written summary same day
Three lines: success picture, name list, one thing to keep doing. Forward it to yourself for week 4. This is a 5-minute habit that compounds for years.