Ask what's working, what's not, and what they wish someone had told them when they started. You'll hear things in a 1:1 that never surface in a team meeting.
A group setting produces the version of the truth people are comfortable saying in front of each other. A 1:1 produces the version they're actually thinking. That gap is usually where the real information lives.
Ask about their story, not just their role
How someone got here tells you what they value. It's context you won't find in a file.
Ask how they want feedback before you ever have to give any
Some people want it blunt and immediate. Some want room to arrive at it themselves. Find out now, not in the moment you need it.
Ask this in your 1:1s
"What made you take this role in the first place?" · "What do you wish someone had told you when you started?" · "What's the best way for me to give you feedback?"