Most 1:1s Are Career Drift Meetings

He looked me in the eye in a 1:1 and asked, "What do I need to do to get to the next level?" He was hungry, driven, and teachable ... and had no clear road to run on. That is when I was reminded that most 1:1s fail because they pretend to be development conversations while operating like status meetings. A strong engineer came to me and asked a direct question. "What do I need to do to get to the next level?" He had drive. He was faithful, approachable, and teachable. He was not missing hunger.