Same time, same structure, every week. The rhythm itself builds trust before any single conversation does, cancelling early trains people to expect it'll keep happening.
A 1:1 that gets rescheduled twice in its first month teaches your team it's optional. The rhythm is doing work before a single conversation happens inside it, it's proof you'll show up consistently, which is the thing actually being tested in someone's first few weeks with a new manager.
Step 1: Fix the day, time, and length first
Consistency matters more than optimizing the format on day one. Pick a slot and protect it like you would a client meeting.
Step 2: Start with them, not the agenda
Most people would rather talk about themselves than anything else, but they'll follow your lead. Open with how they're doing, a hobby, their family, a funny story from your own week, before you touch a single work topic. It sounds small. It's the difference between a status update and a relationship.
Step 3: Let them own the agenda
Keep a running shared doc, not a fresh page each time, and let them add to it whenever something comes up during the week, not ten minutes before the meeting trying to remember what they wanted to say. Take real notes, and assign a follow-up whenever something needs one.
Step 4: Make career growth a standing line, not a once-a-year event
If it only comes up at review time, it isn't actually being managed. Revisit it often enough that there's a real, current action plan behind it, not just a goal you both mentioned once in January.
Questions to keep in rotation
Rather than the same "how's it going" every week, cycle through: How have you been? Anything you've liked lately? Anything we could improve? Feedback for me. Feedback for you. Anything else on your mind?