I would stop doing Monday morning one-to-ones

Most managers I work with book their one-to-ones on Monday morning. It feels organised. Start the week, check in, set priorities.

I think it is one of the worst slots in the week.

On Monday morning people are still catching up. Inbox, messages, whatever happened on Friday afternoon. They come into the meeting with half their head somewhere else, and the conversation turns into a status update.

A one-to-one is not a status update. You can get that from a board or a short message.

A one-to-one is the place where someone tells you they are tired. Or that they don't understand why a decision was made. Or that they want to grow and don't know how to ask. None of that comes out when someone is thinking about 40 unread emails.

What I would do instead

Move it to Wednesday or Thursday. The week has some shape by then, there is something real to talk about, and nobody is in a rush.

Start with one question that has nothing to do with tasks. How is your week really going?

Leave the last ten minutes for them, not for you.

And if there is nothing to discuss, finish early. A short honest conversation is better than 30 minutes of filling time.

Small change. But I think it changes how people talk to their managers.