How Project Managers Can Use One-on-One Meetings to Improve Productivity Without Micromanaging
Do your project meetings keep spawning… more meetings?
You go in to align — and somehow leave with three new follow-ups, a side chat, and an email thread you didn’t ask for. If you’re stuck in a meeting spiral, one-on-ones might be the rhythm reset you need.
If we never meet, let me introduce myself.
I’m Nancy Michieli. I’ve spent over 25 years leading complex projects — the kind that save companies millions annually. I’m not a consultant dropping generic tips from a safe distance. I’ve lived the real-world chaos, politics, and pressure — made the mistakes, and found what actually works when the stakes are high. And this? This works. So let's dive in.
If meetings are supposed to create momentum, why do yours keep multiplying?
You have the agenda, you have the plan and the results another meeting.
This is what happens when project updates become performance theatre. Everyone looks “on track,” but no one says what’s really stuck. So the real work gets pushed to the hallway chat, the inbox, or that “quick sync” that wasn’t quick. Or helpful.
One-on-ones cut through the noise. They give your leads a private, trusted space to flag early tensions, name what feels fuzzy, and raise concerns they’d never say in front of ten people. It’s not about managing more. It’s about managing better. Catching things early before they spread.
Research from the Rotman School of Management backs this. Well-run one-on-ones reduce surprise interruptions and improve team alignment. It’s not extra time. It’s smarter time.
But, Nancy I don't have time for an more meetings....
You’re not too busy for one-on-ones — you’re too interrupted without them.
This is the line I hear the most. “I just don’t have time for weekly one-on-ones.” And yet… those same PMs are buried in unscheduled check-ins, CC’ed emails, vague Teams messages, and progress reports that somehow still don’t explain what’s really going on.
Here’s the truth: One-on-ones give you back your time. When people know they have a regular space to talk, they stop peppering your week with “just a minute” updates. They hold their questions. They prep their thoughts. They bring their real issues to a space designed for clarity.
According to PerformYard, 89% of managers and 73% of employees say one-on-ones improve performance. That’s not fluff. That’s focus.
Ok, Nancy, that's nice, but aren't one-on-ones to be with your supervisor?
You don’t need to be their boss to be their best meeting of the week.
“But, I don’t really manage them… so is a one-on-one even my place?”
Short answer? Yes.
If they’re leading a piece of your project, they don’t need your title — they need your attention. Influence isn’t reserved for reporting lines. It’s built in moments of clarity, curiosity, and consistency.
One-on-ones aren’t performance reviews. They’re your space to uncover roadblocks, offer support, and build trust across the team — especially with people who don’t get that kind of space anywhere else. Leadership isn’t about control. It’s about connection.
Steven Rogelberg, a leading expert on meeting science, calls one-on-ones “the meeting that should never be an email.” Because when they’re done right, they aren’t transactional. They’re transformational.
Well, Nancy will people feel micromanaged if I hold one-on-ones?
It’s only micromanaging if you make it about tasks.
One-on-ones get a bad rep when leaders turn them into mini status reports. That’s not a one-on-one. That’s a checklist with a witness.
The real power of these meetings? It’s not in tracking what’s done. It’s in listening for what’s not being said. The confusion. The tension. The early signs of something slipping sideways.
Micromanaging feels like control. One-on-ones, when done right, feel like support. They’re calm little pockets of clarity — and your team will start to count on them more than you do.
Nancy, what if I get push back that they are too busy to meet?
If they say they’re too busy to meet, that’s exactly why you should.
Let’s be honest. No one’s putting “weekly one-on-one with my PM” at the top of their to-do list.
But that’s because most people don’t know what a good one feels like. Short. Steady. Focused on them, not you.
You don’t need an agenda full of bullet points. You need twenty minutes of space where they can bring questions, challenges, or even that thing they’ve been sitting on for three weeks. Give them that space — and they’ll stop burying tension under silence.
The truth is, busy people crave clarity. They just don’t always ask for it. One well-timed one-on-one can be the highlight of someone’s week — not because it was exciting, but because it helped them breathe.
One-on-ones don’t have to be long, formal, or awkward.
They just need to happen. And when they do consistently, intentionally, and with just a bit of care, they change the tone of your entire project.
Next time, I’ll walk you through how to structure a one-on-one that actually works. We’ll talk timing, flow, and what to say when you don’t know where to start.
Because when you build one-on-ones into your leadership rhythm, you’re not just managing projects. You’re showing people the kind of leader worth following.