Appreciative 1:1 Question Bank

How to Use This Bank

You don’t need to ask 60 questions. Choose one or two per 1:1 that fit the context. The goal is to shift the conversation’s center of gravity from problems and tasks toward strengths, growth, and meaning — without abandoning the practical work.

The most powerful shift: start your 1:1 with one appreciative question before moving to the agenda. Even two minutes of this changes the tone.

Category 1: Opening Questions (2–3 min)

Use these to set an appreciative tone at the start of any 1:1.

What’s one thing from the past week that you’re genuinely proud of?
What went better than expected this week?
What’s something you did this week that you’d like to do more of?
Who or what gave you energy this week?
What’s a win — however small — that deserves naming before we get into the agenda?
What problem did you solve recently that you don’t think has been fully acknowledged?
What moment this week felt most like “you at your best”?
What are you most looking forward to in the work ahead?

Category 2: Strengths Discovery

Use these to help someone identify and articulate what they do well — especially if they struggle to name it.

When do you feel most in flow in your work — where time disappears because you’re so engaged?
What kinds of tasks do you finish and immediately want to do more of?
What do people come to you for that other colleagues find harder?
What do you do that looks effortless from the outside but requires real skill?
What feedback do you receive most consistently from people who know your work well?
When you look back at your best work, what’s the thread that connects those moments?
What strengths do you have that you feel are underused in your current role?
What’s a challenge you’ve navigated well recently — and what does that reveal about your strengths?
If a colleague described you at your best to someone who’d never met you, what would you hope they’d say?

Category 3: Contribution & Meaning

Use these to connect day-to-day work to larger purpose.

What part of your work feels most meaningful right now?
How is what you’re doing right now connected to what you care about most professionally?
When do you feel like your work is genuinely contributing to something beyond the immediate task?
What would you miss most about this role if you left?
What do you think is the most important thing your work makes possible for others?
What aspect of this team’s work are you most proud to be part of?
Where do you feel your contribution is most uniquely yours — where you bring something no one else quite brings?

Category 4: Development & Growth

Use these to support growth conversations anchored in strength rather than deficit.

What skill or capability are you most eager to develop right now?
What challenge in your current role is stretching you in ways you’re grateful for?
Where would you most like to grow in the next 3–6 months, building on what you already do well?
What’s a project or opportunity that would allow you to use your strengths at a higher level?
What kind of work would represent a genuine stretch for you — exciting rather than just difficult?
Who in this organization or field do you most admire? What are they doing that you’d like to develop?
What’s one thing you’ve learned in the last quarter that you want to apply more?
If we designed your role to maximize your strengths, what would look different?

Category 5: Recognition & Appreciation

Use these to make recognition a regular, specific part of the 1:1.

What contribution from a teammate would you want me to be aware of?
Who on this team does something valuable that doesn’t get enough visibility?
Is there a win from your team this week that you think deserves more recognition than it’s gotten?
What did someone do recently that you found genuinely impressive?
Who outside this team has been a real partner or support recently? Should we name that?

Category 6: Deeper Reflection (Quarterly)

Reserve these for longer conversations — quarterly check-ins or development discussions.

What has this quarter taught you about your strengths?
Where did you show up at your best this quarter? What enabled it?
What’s a challenge from this quarter that you navigated better than you expected?
What do you know now about what you want from your career that you didn’t know three months ago?
What’s the most significant contribution you made this quarter that you might not fully appreciate?
Looking ahead, what would “thriving” look like for you in this role over the next year?
What do you need from me to be at your best?
What’s one thing I could do more of — or less of — that would help you do your best work?

Category 7: Connection & Trust

Use these occasionally to build the relational foundation that makes all other conversations work better.

What do you enjoy most about working with this team?
What kind of working environment brings out your best?
What do you wish I understood better about how you work?
What’s something about your work or goals that you haven’t had a chance to share?
What’s something you’d like me to know about what motivates you?

Category 8: Future & Aspiration

If you could design your ideal role three years from now, what would it look like?
What kind of leader do you want to become? What are you already doing that moves you in that direction?
What’s a problem you’d love to take on that feels just beyond your current reach?
What would you do with your work if you knew you couldn’t fail?
What legacy do you want to leave in this organization — even if you’re only here for a season?

Facilitation Notes

The most important rule: Ask, then listen. Don’t jump in with your own answers or experiences. The appreciative 1:1 is fundamentally about the other person’s perspective.

On silence: Some questions produce a pause. Sit with it. “I’m not sure” is often followed by something valuable if you wait.

On skepticism: Some people find appreciative questions uncomfortable at first — especially high-performers who are used to critique-focused conversations. Normalize it: “I’m trying to make sure we spend as much time on what you’re doing well as on what needs work.”

Start small: One opening question per 1:1. That’s enough to change the culture of the conversation over time.