Having substantive conversations with your people instead of just small talk
Having substantive conversations with your people instead of just small talk
1:1’s, catch-ups, check-ins, reviews, there are numerous terms we are now using to interact with our people and teams in order to gauge their engagement. Leaders, and organisations, have different ways of covering off these meetings. Some will have a clearly stipulated routine and framework, while on the other hand, some might not feel there is a precedence for these. Recent conversations have led me to question whether we have lost the art of truly understanding the importance of these interactions and how we get the most from them.
Why even do them…
Often leaders say they don’t need to have a schedule, or routine, with their team members as they work with them every day. Why would I need to schedule something? Is that not a bit corporate? I see them every morning and ask them how they are… The inherent problem is, simply, trying to switch people's minds to understand that meetings do not need always need to result in directly tangible results.
The concept of just applying a nonchalant attitude towards these interactions breaks down a key principle of developing a high performing team. Patrick Lencioni’s The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team discusses the importance of building trust as a base for developing better teams. Leaders need to make sure their team members trust them to help guide them effectively through their challenges. If you cannot carve out some DEDICATED time to help them, how will they continue to trust you?
Whilst there is no need for a regimentally set schedule, there needs to be a time and place set to allow both parties to prepare and know it is there to be used.
When you wished you had done them…
While we like to use these interactions to help develop our team members and push them towards success, there is also the case for these meetings when we need to work towards a potential farewell for one of our members. Whilst you should be doing everything that is laid out in your organisation's HR policies and under the respective Employment Relations Acts, these substantive conversations should be a tool in your toolbox. Leaders cannot shy away from tackling the harder conversations of managing their people. By having regular engagements, leaders can sense performance changes more accurately.
Don’t get caught out and end up wishing you had started to document or routinely manage someone earlier!
Making them more than just the usual small talk.
The book Trillion Dollar Coach talks about Bill Campbell who helped build some of Silicon Valley's biggest brands. The authors discuss how Bill would always start his 1:1’s with structured and attentive small talk. Leaders should be striving to know all they can about their team members. How were their kids' sports tournaments? Who won? How did the family celebrate? Why do they like going to that restaurant to celebrate? If leaders only tackle the tip of the iceberg with the standard question and reply, how do we really get to know our people?
After gaining those valuable insights from structured small talk, Bill suggests we line up four key headings to tie the remainder of the conversation into:
Performance (KPI’s, targets, milestones, achievements)
Relationships (Cross business cohesiveness, leading across, roadblocks in other teams)
Leadership (Are you coaching your poor performers? Is there anything you need extra support from me in? Is the team responding to you and achieving what you want?)
Innovation (How can we be doing better? What are some new ideas that you think should be researched? )
A 2010 study: Eavesdropping on Happiness: Well-being is Related to Having Less Small Talk and More Substantive Conversations talks about the direct correlation between having detailed substantive conversations as opposed to just plain chit chat can make people happier.
The leadership home run during these substantive conversations is the ability to create accurate notes and deductions. Leaders should go away and fight to unblock the challenges that were raised or have the accurate detail to loop back on the issue at a later date. No one likes having to repeat themselves, especially to someone who is meant to be helping them.
People do like a leader returning to topics that they thought might have been forgotten about. This shows true leadership benevolence.
How not to do them.
There is an easy correlation between poor leadership and poor engagement with staff. If leaders do not have a structure and take time to prepare, why should the team members do the same? Here are a few common areas to steer well clear of:
Common Mistakes in One-on-Ones:
Doing most of the talking
Taking the problem away from someone
Not enquiring about feelings
Delivering unclear messages, unclear coaching, unclear instructions
Cancelling the meeting
Allowing interruptions
Running out of time
Assuming your one-on-ones are effective
For further information Pivot & Pace have a range of E-Books on Courageous Conversations for Leaders.
This article was contributed by Luke Johnson, Strategic Advisor