5 ways to win over your manager in one-on-one meetings

In today's fast-paced workplaces, one-on-one meetings with your manager are more than just calendar fillers or progress check-ins—they are golden opportunities to shape your career narrative. 

Yet many professionals either rush through them or treat them as routine status reports, missing the chance to stand out and deepen professional trust. When approached strategically, regular one-on-one meetings with your manager can provide opportunities to make a great impression and foster professional growth.

1. Lead the conversation

One of the most effective ways to win over your manager in one-on-one meetings is by taking ownership of the agenda. Rather than showing up unprepared and relying on your manager to lead the conversation, come ready to steer it yourself. 

Proactive employees drive the dialogue, speaking for the majority of the meeting and focusing on challenges, new ideas, and growth opportunities. This approach signals initiative, strategic thinking, and leadership potential—qualities that managers consider when making promotion decisions. 

To put this into practice, send your agenda at least a day in advance, come with thoughtful questions that go beyond routine updates, and use openers like "I'd love your perspective on…" or "I'm thinking about…"

2. Focus on professional growth

Use the one-on-one meetings as a platform to focus on your professional growth. Regularly bringing up your development goals signals ambition and helps your manager see you as someone worth investing in. 

A study by Workplace Intelligence found that 74% of millennials and Gen Z employees are likely to leave if they don't see career advancement opportunities, highlighting just how crucial these conversations are. 

Dedicate at least ten minutes of each meeting to discussing your long-term trajectory: ask which skills you should build, explore the possibility of stretch assignments or cross-functional work, and talk about industry trends that could shape your role. When you frame your one-on-ones around growth, you turn them into a shared effort to shape your future.

3. Come with solutions, not just problems

To make a strong impression in your one-on-one meetings, don't just bring up problems—bring possible solutions as well. It's okay to talk about challenges, but simply unloading problems without proposing ways forward can make you seem like a burden rather than a problem-solver. 

Instead, aim to show your value by presenting thoughtful, research-backed ideas. This not only positions you as a proactive thinker but also makes your manager's job easier—something they'll always appreciate. 

Whenever you bring up a problem, try to suggest at least two possible solutions. Look at how other teams or companies handle similar issues, and suggest clear steps with a timeline. This approach shows initiative, readiness, and leadership—all of which will elevate your manager's perception of you.

4. Seek specific feedback to improve

Don't wait for your annual review to find out how you're doing—use one-on-one meetings to actively seek specific feedback and show you're serious about improvement. 

Thinking that silence means you're doing well can be misleading. You might miss problems or chances to improve. A Microsoft study found that workers who get clear advice from their managers are more productive and feel more balanced. Bosses like employees who are open to learning. When you ask for feedback and use it to get better, it shows you're serious about growing and worth investing in.

Ask targeted questions like, "How could I have handled the presentation better?" or "What's one skill I should focus on improving?" Follow up on earlier feedback to demonstrate progress—for example, "Last month you mentioned I should be more assertive in meetings. I've been working on that—how am I doing now?" Be sure to track both the feedback you receive and your improvements, reinforcing your growth mindset and reliability.

5. Build the relationship beyond work

Last but not least, to win over your manager, build a relationship that goes beyond tasks and timelines. 

If you only discuss tasks and deadlines, your relationship with your manager can feel like a business deal. This makes it hard to build real trust. Instead, try to connect on a personal level—remember, your manager is a person, too, and strong relationships really do matter.

Research shows that employees feel more engaged when they believe their organisation cares about their well-being, and the same applies to individual relationships at work. When your manager sees you as someone they trust and connect with, they're far more likely to offer honest feedback, mentorship, and even push for your promotion. 

Simple gestures, such as acknowledging their expertise, asking thoughtful questions, or being consistently dependable, can go a long way. Ultimately, when you build trust and show you care, you make it easy for your manager to see you as more than just an employee—you become someone they're proud to support.