Airbnb’s CEO, Brian Chesky, says one-on-ones are flawed and feel like therapy sessions—but is he missing the point? In this video, I explain why one-on-ones aren’t the problem—bad one-on-ones are. From building real trust with your team to making meetings more effective (and less like a vent session), I’ll show you simple fixes that turn one-on-ones into your biggest leadership asset. Stick around—you won’t want to miss this! (~3 min video)
I don’t believe in “Quiet Quitting.” I believe in “Quietly Waiting for Better Leadership.”
When I see a technical team disengaging, cameras off, bare-minimum output, silence in meetings, I don’t look at the team. I look at the manager. Engineers and operators rarely disengage from the work. They love the work. They disengage from the chaos above them. When a technical expert takes a leadership role without the right
Mike Wagner December 16, 2025