The Power of One-on-One Conversations

Over the last four weeks, I’ve spent time having one-on-one conversations with people across Klizer. There was no formal agenda. I simply wanted to listen.

I don’t follow a fixed list or hierarchy when deciding whom to meet. Most of the time, I randomly pick people across the organization and set up a one-on-one, especially with people I haven’t had the opportunity to work closely with before.

Sometimes I reach out to our HR leaders or my leadership team and ask them to recommend people from their teams whom I should connect with. They often suggest individuals doing interesting work or those who have valuable perspectives to share.

At the end of many conversations, I also ask one simple question: “Who else do you think I should talk to?” That often leads me to someone I may not have discovered otherwise, and each recommendation opens the door to another meaningful conversation.

So far, I’ve spoken with nearly 30 people in the last 3-4 weeks, and it has been one of the most valuable leadership activities I’ve done this year.

Every conversation starts with a few simple questions. What are you working on? What new ideas are you exploring? What best practices have you introduced? What challenges are you facing? What questions do you have about Klizer? These conversations have given me a much deeper understanding than any dashboard, project report, or performance review ever could.

One thing I’ve realized is that many issues can be resolved much faster through a direct conversation. Sometimes people don’t immediately open up, and that’s perfectly okay. Trust takes time to build. But when people know someone is willing to listen, they eventually begin to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback. Those conversations often uncover opportunities for improvement that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Another topic that naturally comes up in almost every discussion is AI. As we continue our journey to become an AI-first company, I’ve been encouraging everyone to think about how AI can improve the way they work. What has impressed me most is that many of our people have already embraced AI in their daily work. They aren’t just using AI to improve their own productivity, they’re also sharing prompts, tools, best practices, and real-world use cases with their teammates. That’s how an AI-first culture is built: one conversation and one shared learning at a time.

These conversations have also been a great learning experience for me. A few days ago, one of our team members introduced me to the concept of a Forward Deployed Engineer. Before our meeting, he shared his notes, which gave me the opportunity to do some research and come prepared. Similarly, I’ve learned more about topics like RAG, LLM, and other emerging AI concepts through these discussions. It reminded me that leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about staying curious and learning from the people around you.

One conversation also reminded me of something we’ve often overlooked in a remote-first company. Earlier this year, several members of our team attended AI DevCon in Bangalore. One of my colleagues shared that while the conference sessions were valuable, the biggest takeaway was the opportunity to spend time with teammates from different departments. Those informal conversations helped them exchange ideas, build relationships, and understand each other’s work in ways that don’t happen through regular online meetings.

That resonated with me. In a remote organization, we don’t meet people in hallways or over coffee. Most of our interactions happen through scheduled meetings, emails, and chat messages. That’s why events, workshops, and one-on-one conversations become so important. They create opportunities to build relationships, learn from one another, and strengthen our culture beyond the work we do every day.

Over the past month, one thing has become very clear to me. Many of the best ideas inside Klizer are already here. They simply need someone willing to ask a few questions and genuinely listen.

As leaders, we often think our role is to provide answers. But over the last few weeks, I’ve been reminded that some of the most meaningful leadership moments come from asking questions, listening with curiosity, and learning from the people around us.

This is a practice I plan to continue. My goal is to connect with at least four people every week through one-on-one conversations. I’m confident that every discussion will help me learn something new, strengthen relationships, and make us a better organization together.

I’d also love to hear from you.

When was the last time you set up a one-on-one with someone on your team—not for a project update or a performance review, but simply to listen? What made that conversation interesting or memorable?

Please share your experience in the comments. I’d love to learn from your stories as well.

Sometimes, leadership isn’t about speaking.

It’s about making time to listen.