You’re the Manager. Why Are You the One Feeling Lost?

How to steer 1:1s when your reports are over-explaining and you’re silently drowning.

Most management advice tells you to listen more.

Let people talk.

Hold space.

Don’t jump in too soon.

But what happens when listening stops being helpful?

What if more talking just leads to less clarity?

Let’s say you’re in a 1:1. You ask your report how things are going.

They launch into a long-winded answer.

You want to be respectful, so you stay quiet.

But tw…