Engineering Leadership & Effective 1-on-1s
Engineering Leadership and Effective 1-on-1s is a free, CC BY 4.0 course outline of about 50 minutes for new engineering managers, tech leads and senior engineers who mentor others. It turns 1-on-1s from status updates into coaching: agendas, diagnostic questions, the Situation-Behavior-Impact feedback model and individual development plans. A learner finishes with a 1-on-1 structure they can use the next week.
See pricing (from $1 per active user): the outline is free to copy, and building it in Personal Academy starts on the Free plan.
| Course code | ENG-2026-04 |
|---|---|
| Estimated duration | About 50 minutes, self-paced |
| Block types | Built in the Course Studio, which offers 28 lesson block types |
| Delivery channels | Web on every plan; Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Chat from the Basic plan; WhatsApp on Premium |
| Credential | Completion certificate with a public verification page. Certificates are included from the Basic plan. |
| Licence | CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International) |
About this course
Most engineering 1-on-1 meetings deteriorate into status updates that could have been an asynchronous Slack message. This course equips tech leads with structured frameworks for career development, psychological safety, unblocking technical friction, and giving actionable candid feedback.
What is inside
- •Two modules and four lessons: the high-impact 1-on-1, and candid feedback and growth plans
- •Role-play scenarios for difficult feedback conversations
- •Flashcard review and a multiple-choice check in each module
Who it is for
- •New and aspiring Engineering Managers
- •Staff and Principal Engineers mentoring junior engineers
- •Engineering Directors standardizing team health practices
Learning outcomes
- •Shift 1-on-1 meetings from tactical status reporting to strategic career coaching and trust building.
- •Deploy the SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) feedback model during code reviews and design retrospectives.
- •Detect early signals of developer burnout and velocity bottlenecks using objective attention radar indicators.
- •Create Individual Development Plans (IDPs) that map skill gaps to concrete quarterly milestones.
How to use it
- Sign up for a free Personal Academy organisation; no card is needed to start.
- Open the Course Studio and paste this outline into the Brief step, with your audience and any policies of your own.
- Review the Blueprint the studio drafts from the brief, adjust modules and lessons, then Build.
- Review the built lessons, edit anything you want, and Deliver: publish and assign it to your people.
- People take it on the web on any plan; delivery in Slack or Microsoft Teams needs the Basic plan or above.
Syllabus
The modules, lessons and suggested block types in this outline.
Module 1: The Anatomy of a High-Impact 1-on-1
Establishing psychological safety, collaborative agendas, and active listening cadences.
1.1 Ditching the Status Report
Why status updates kill 1-on-1 value. How to use asynchronous Slack bots to collect blockers so the synchronous 30 minutes focuses entirely on growth and alignment.
1.2 Diagnostic Coaching Questions for Engineers
A curated library of 20 diagnostic questions across energy levels, architecture friction, team dynamics, and long-term career aspirations.
Module 2: Candid Feedback & Growth Pathways
Delivering difficult feedback constructively and building sustainable career progression ladders.
2.1 Radical Candor & The Situation-Behavior-Impact Model
Interactive roleplay scenarios navigating PR review disagreements, architectural deadlocks, and missed sprint delivery commitments.
2.2 Designing Individual Development Plans (IDP)
Collaboratively defining quarterly skill targets, mentorship pairings, and verifiable project outcomes to secure senior engineer promotions.
Frequently asked questions
Can managers practice 1-on-1 conversations using AI roleplay?
Yes. Personal Academy has AI role-play practice, so a manager can rehearse a feedback conversation with a simulated engineer before the real meeting. Role-play uses AI credits.
Can this curriculum be customized for our engineering ladder?
Yes. The outline is CC BY 4.0, so you can change anything. Paste it into the Brief step of the Course Studio, edit the Blueprint to match your ladder, and build the lessons from there.