Regular one-on-one meetings with your boss may seem like just a routine way for them to check in on your work, but especially if you’re just starting out, these conversations can fundamentally influence your workplace experience, your relationship with your manager, and your future growth and success. The author has studied these meetings and found that they are most successful when centered around the employee’s needs. Here are five critical behaviors for you to use in your first one-on-one with your boss.

• Know what you need. You can’t get your needs met if you don’t know what your needs are.
• Be curious. Go into every one-on-one meeting with the goal of wanting to grow and learn from your manager.
• Build rapport. Use your meeting to get to know your manager on a personal as well as a professional level.
• Ask for feedback. Your regular one-on-one with your boss is a critical opportunity to ask for feedback about your performance.
• Receive feedback well. By making a conscious effort to remain positive even in these tough moments, you can transform challenging feedback into a tool for growth.