Coaching 1:1 template

A weekly coaching 1:1 is a standing 30-minute conversation between a rep and their team lead. It is not a metrics review, not a stack-rank readout, and not the place a rep first hears that something is wrong. The point is one specific thing to keep doing and one specific thing to work on — small enough to act on before the next one.

Run it the same time every week. Cancel the meeting, not the relationship: if you have to move it, move it, don't drop it. Same coach every week wherever you can.

Before the 1:1 — coach prep (5 minutes)

Do this the day of, not a week early, so the examples are fresh. You are looking for two specific moments from the last week — one to praise, one to grow — with the ticket, call, or chat in front of you.

• Skimmed 3-5 of this rep's interactions from the past week (not just the flagged ones)
• Picked one strength I actually saw — with the ticket/call ID to point at
• Picked one growth area — one, not a list — with a specific example, not "in general"
• Checked whether last week's agreed next step actually happened
• Noted anything the rep flagged for me (blockers, questions, "can we talk about X")
• Left the scorecard closed unless the rep asks — this is not a numbers meeting

Prep rule of thumb: if you can't name the ticket, you're not ready to give the feedback. "You've been great this week" is not coaching.

The agenda (30 minutes)

Keep the growth area shorter than the rep-led block. If your coaching time is bigger than the rep's time, it has quietly turned into a performance review.

1. Check-in (3 min)

Human first. You are reading the week, not auditing it.

• "How was the week — honestly?"
• "Anything draining your energy right now?"
• "Anything I said I'd follow up on that I've dropped?"

Don't rush past a flat "fine." One follow-up question is usually enough to get the real answer.

2. One strength observed (5 min)

Name one thing they did well and why it worked — so it is repeatable, not just a pat on the back.

Use a specific moment:

"On ticket #48213 — the refund dispute — you restated the customer's problem in your own words before you offered a fix. That's why they de-escalated. Keep doing that on the angry ones."

• Tied to a real interaction (ID named)
• Explains the mechanism ("that's why it worked"), not just "good job"
• Something the rep can consciously repeat next week

3. One growth area, with a specific example (8 min)

One. Pick the thing that will move the needle most, and let the rest wait for a future week. Vague feedback ("be more thorough") can't be acted on — anchor it to a moment.

A simple frame that keeps it non-defensive:

• Situation — "On chat #90711 yesterday..."
• Observation — "...you sent the help-center link but didn't confirm the customer could actually do the steps."
• Impact — "...they came back an hour later more frustrated, and it re-opened."
• Ask a question before you prescribe — "What was going on there? What would you do differently?"

Let the rep diagnose it first. They are right more often than you'd expect, and a fix they name is a fix they own.

• Exactly one growth area this week
• Anchored to a specific, recent example (ID named)
• Rep got to respond before I offered the fix
• Framed as a skill to build, not a verdict on the person

4. Rep-led topics (10 min)

The rep's half of the meeting. Send the prompt "what do you want to use our time on?" the day before so they arrive with something. Their agenda beats yours here.

Prompts if they're stuck:

• "What's a ticket type you dread? Let's take one apart."
• "Where do you keep getting stuck or waiting on someone?"
• "Anything about the product, the tools, or a policy that's slowing you down?"
• "What do you want to be doing in six months — and what's one step toward it?"

Capture anything that's actually your job to unblock. A rep-led topic that needs you to act is not done when the meeting ends.

5. Agreed next step (4 min)

Close on one commitment the rep can act on this week. Write it down together, in their words, and read it back.

• One step, not a to-do list
• Specific and checkable — I'll know next week if it happened
• Rep said it back in their own words
• I noted what I owe them to make it possible

Running record (keep across weeks)

One row per week. This is what turns twelve separate chats into visible progress — and it's the raw material for a fair review later, with no surprises.

Ground rules — what this is not

• Not a surprise. Serious performance concerns are raised in the moment, not saved up for the 1:1.
• Not a metrics review. Numbers can start a conversation ("CSAT dipped on billing tickets — what's happening there?"), but the meeting is about the work behind them.
• Not a monologue. If you're talking more than the rep, stop and ask a question.
• Not skippable. Reschedule it, don't cancel it. A dropped 1:1 tells the rep where they rank.
• Not the same script for everyone. A new hire needs more direction; a senior rep needs more room. Adjust the balance, keep the shape.