The LeaderCues Blog
Notes on attention, memory, and managing people well.
Honest essays for engineering managers and team leads. No frameworks sold here — just things I wish someone had told me earlier.
- 9 min read
How to run one on one meetings
A practical guide for managers. Cadence, preparation, listening, commitments, and the mistakes that quietly kill 1-1s.
Read → - 8 min read
One on one meeting questions that get people talking
45 questions for 1-1s with employees, grouped by what you are trying to learn, with notes on when each group works and when it backfires.
Read → - 7 min read
Your first one on one with a new employee
What the first 1-1 is for, ten questions that work in week one, what not to do, and how the first month of conversations should unfold.
Read → - 7 min read
The 1-1 template I actually use every week
A simple 1-1 template for engineering managers. Four sections, two minutes of prep, and the reasons behind each part.
Read → - 5 min read
Forgetting what your reports tell you has a cost
Your team notices when you forget important context, and small misses slowly reduce trust.
Read → - 6 min read
Attention is the real currency of management
Managers do not run out of hours first. They run out of attention, and this changes how you plan your week.
Read → - 4 min read
I stopped trusting my memory for 1-1s. Here is what changed.
A small habit changed how my team felt about our 1-1s and how I felt before them.
Read → - 5 min read
The follow-up problem managers underestimate
Small dropped promises reduce trust because people remember what you said you would do.
Read → - 6 min read
Context decay: why your team feels unheard by month six
A new manager often starts strong. The decline begins when context grows faster than memory.
Read →