Things Leaders Do

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

• Colby Morris

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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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Connect with Colby:
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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. 


Speaker 1:

This is episode two of our one-on-one meeting series, and if you haven't listened to episode one yet, hey, hit, pause, go back. It's the foundation. This episode builds on that one. Now, today we're going to go deeper. Okay, and I'm guessing if you're still here, you're probably already running one on ones, 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-ins a month and still feel like you're missing the mark if you're not being intentional about what you cover. So let's talk about the structure. Okay, this is the structure I've learned to use, often the hard way, to make sure everyone that I have a one-on-one with actually moves the needle. Okay, we're going to go over the four quadrants that changed everything. Here's what I've discovered.

Speaker 1:

Great one-on-ones aren't just about having good questions. They're about making sure you're covering the full spectrum of what your people need from you as their leader. Okay, I call them the four quadrants of great one-on-ones. The first is Maslow's hierarchy. That's your uh, your wellbeing check. Then there's employee development, there's performance management and there's leader rounding from Quint Studer. Now, before you think great, another framework to remember. Let me tell you why these matter and how they saved me from pretty big leadership blind spots.

Speaker 1:

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 feel touchy-feely for some leaders, but stick with me, you cannot coach performance if someone's stuck in survival mode. Okay, I learned this the hard way with a team member who was really struggling with some of her deliverables. I kept pushing on execution until I finally asked hey, how are you doing as a person right now? Turns out she was dealing with a sick parent and she really hadn't slept much in weeks. Well, once we addressed that, we adjusted her workload, we got her some support. Her performance came back stronger than ever.

Speaker 1:

This is where that battery check question from episode one that's where this lives. What percent are you at right now? Okay, that's not small talk. It's Intel that helps you lead them that day. Okay, in that moment. Here's the thing If someone's at 30% emotionally, you're not going to coach them the same way as someone who's at 90% and ready to take on the world. It just doesn't happen that way.

Speaker 1:

All right, let's go to quadrant two and that's employee development. This is the future focus. Okay, this quadrant is all about where they're headed, not just where they are. Okay, and I'll be honest, this used to be my weakest area. I was so focused on getting things done that I forgot to ask my people where they wanted to go. Now I make sure to ask things like hey, what skill do you want to grow this quarter? Okay, what part of your job lights you up? What's something you'd like to take on that you're not doing right now? And here's what I learned when people see that you're invested and you're invested in their future, they're more invested in the present. Okay, it's not just about the job they have, it's about the leader they're becoming. Okay, now let me say this clearly Employee development is not the same thing as performance management.

Speaker 1:

Okay, development is about where they're going. Performance is about where they are right now. So let's go to quadrant three performance management. This is the reality check. Okay, this is where we talk about expectations. We talk about the deliverables, how things are actually going. I know this one makes a lot of leaders squirm. Okay, nobody loves having tough conversations about performance. But here's what I've learned If you're not talking about performance in your one-on-ones, you're setting everyone up for failure, because then the only time it comes up is when During formal reviews, and by then it's too late. I actually had a leader tell me once I don't want to make our one-on-ones feel like performance reviews. Look, I get that, but there's a difference between making someone feel judged and keeping them informed about how they're doing. Regular performance check-ins and one-on-ones. That means no surprises later. Okay, it means you're both on the same page about what success looks like and where they stand. All right, let's go to quadrant four, and that is leader rounding, the game changer. This one might be new for some of you. Okay, leader rounding comes from a guy named Quint Studer. He's done incredible work in healthcare around. Sorry, operationalizing leadership.

Speaker 1:

The idea is simple. You're going to flip the script. Instead of just evaluating your people, you're going to give them a chance to evaluate how you're doing as their leader. Okay, you're going to ask questions like what's working well on our team? Okay, what's getting in your way? Do you have what you need to do your job? Well, who's doing great work? That I might not be seeing.

Speaker 1:

The first time I tried this, I'm going to admit I was. I was pretty nervous. What if they had nothing good to say? What if they gave me feedback? I didn't want to hear, but here's what happened. They started trusting me more. Okay, because now I wasn't just the person who evaluated them, I was someone who, who cared about getting better at leading them. And when you build that kind of trust, man, everything else gets easier.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk about how this actually works. Okay, so you've got the four quadrants. Now you're probably thinking, colby, I barely have time for one-on-ones as it is. How am I supposed to cover all four areas every time? Here's the thing you don't need to spend equal time on each one, but you do need to touch on all four every single time. Okay, think of it like this Every meeting gets a moment of connection, a moment of development, a performance check and a chance for feedback. What changes is where you lean in, based on what's needed at the moment?

Speaker 1:

Let me show you how I think about cadence. If you have fewer than 10 direct reports, then you need to be having weekly one-on-ones. Lucky you, this is the sweet spot you can meet weekly and really build momentum. Okay, here's my rhythm Weeks one through three. I'm going to touch all four quadrants, but lean into one based on what's needed, and then in week four, I'm going to go deeper with a structured monthly rounding session, and that gives you the flexibility to be responsive while still being comprehensive. Does that make sense? Now, if you have 10 or more direct reports, you're going to have biweekly one-on-ones. Okay, same principle applies Every meeting hits all four areas, but you're meeting every other week, so you need to be more intentional about what you dive into. And then, once a month, you do a deeper, more structured session that really kind of zooms out and looks at that bigger picture.

Speaker 1:

Now, if you have a large team, you're probably only doing monthly one-on-ones, and this was challenging, I'll admit. If you can only meet once per month, that meeting has to carry a lot of weight. You can't waste it on status updates or small talk. It needs to be structured, intentional and built to hit all four quadrants with real purpose. This is where having a solid agenda becomes crucial and, by the way, if you want a copy of the agendas that I use the questions I ask, I'm happy to share that with you. We'll talk about that at the end of the show.

Speaker 1:

Let's talk about your next steps. Look, I know this might feel like a lot, okay, but here's the truth. Your one-on-ones are where leadership actually happens. They're where culture gets built or broken, okay. It's where trust gets strengthened or eroded. So here's what I'd love for you to try this week Look at your last few one-on-ones.

Speaker 1:

Were you hitting all four quadrants? Pick one area you've been missing and focus on adding it to your next meeting and ask yourself am I talking with my people or at them? And remember, this isn't about perfection, it's about intention. It's about showing up for your people in a way that helps them grow, helps them perform and trust you as their leader. Again, if you want those agendas I mentioned, or if you want to share how this is working for you, connect with me on LinkedIn. I read literally every single message that comes in every day, every week, and if this episode helped you think differently about your one-on-ones, would you do me a favor and just share it with another leader who might need it, who might be looking at changing their one-on-ones, someone who might need to refresh that process? Because leadership is not built in boardrooms. It's built in moments like these, when we choose to show up differently for the people we lead. And you know why Because those are the things that leaders do.

Speaker 2:

Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do. If you're looking for more tips on how to be a better leader, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and listen to next week's episode. Until next time, keep working on being a better leader by doing the things that leaders do.