1:1 Meetings

Biological Parallel

Alpha chimpanzees conduct individual grooming sessions with each coalition member—private, uninterrupted time that serves multiple functions: relationship maintenance, information gathering about group dynamics, addressing specific tensions, and reinforcing bonds. These one-on-one sessions are essential for hierarchy stability; alphas who skip them lose situational awareness and face overthrow. Grove's 1:1 framework mirrors primate politics: regular individual contact is the irreducible unit of leadership, enabling managers to detect problems early, maintain trust, and prevent coalition fractures before they metastasize.