In any organization, effective communication is the backbone of success. One of the most valuable tools in a manager’s arsenal for fostering strong relationships and empowering their team members is the one-on-one meeting. These dedicated sessions provide an opportunity to connect on a personal level, address concerns, provide feedback, and align goals. However, to truly maximize the potential of these meetings, it is crucial to follow some best practices that ensure productivity and engagement. In this blog post, we will explore the key principles and actionable strategies for conducting effective one-on-one meetings with your team.
Establish a Regular Cadence:
Consistency is vital when it comes to one-on-one meetings. Set up a regular schedule that works for both you and your team members. Whether it’s a weekly, biweekly, or monthly meeting, stick to the agreed-upon timeframe. This regularity creates a sense of dependability and allows team members to prepare adequately for the discussions, ensuring that they make the most of the allotted time.
Create a Safe and Open Environment:
To foster trust and open communication, it’s crucial to establish a safe and non-judgmental environment during one-on-one meetings. Encourage team members to share their thoughts, concerns, and ideas openly. Actively listen, show empathy, and be genuinely interested in their perspectives. Respect confidentiality and assure team members that their concerns will be taken seriously and addressed appropriately.
Set Clear Objectives:
Before each meeting, set clear objectives and communicate them to your team member. This clarity ensures that both parties are on the same page and helps focus the conversation. Objectives could include discussing progress on specific projects, addressing challenges or roadblocks, exploring career aspirations, or seeking feedback on recent performance. Clearly defined goals help make the meeting purposeful and productive.
Active Listening and Feedback:
A key aspect of effective one-on-one meetings is active listening. Demonstrate your attentiveness by maintaining eye contact, nodding, and responding thoughtfully. Give team members ample time to express themselves without interruption. Ask open-ended questions to encourage deeper insights and understanding. Provide constructive feedback while highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. Remember, the goal is to have a meaningful dialogue that fosters growth and development.
Encourage Employee Ownership:
One-on-one meetings should not be one-sided conversations. Encourage your team members to take ownership of the meeting and actively participate in the discussion. Encourage them to come prepared with topics or questions they would like to discuss. This approach not only empowers individuals but also fosters a sense of ownership, accountability, and engagement.
Discuss Personal Development:
In addition to project-related discussions, dedicate time to discuss personal and professional development. Help team members identify their strengths, areas for growth, and career aspirations. Collaboratively set goals and create actionable plans to support their development. By investing in their growth, you demonstrate that you value them as individuals and are committed to their success.
Follow-Up and Accountability:
To ensure the effectiveness of your one-on-one meetings, it’s essential to follow up on discussed topics and action items. Document key points, decisions, and commitments made during the meeting. Arrange for a summary to be shared afterward, outlining action steps, deadlines, and any resources needed. Regularly review progress on action items during subsequent meetings, providing necessary guidance and support. I wholeheartedly support a leaders empowerment of their direct reports by use of questions such as “how will you hold yourself accountable to this commitment?” or “What specific commitments to action will you make as a result of this conversation?”
Mastering the art of one-on-one meetings is a powerful tool for cultivating strong relationships, enhancing team performance, and promoting employee growth and development. By implementing these best practices, you can create a positive and productive meeting environment where team members feel heard, supported, and motivated. Remember, effective communication is the cornerstone of successful leadership, and investing time in meaningful one-on-one interactions can yield tremendous results for both individuals and the overall team dynamic.
Category: Uncategorized
Building Daily Reading Habits
Building a daily habit of reading can be a challenging task, but with a few simple strategies, it can become a regular and enjoyable part of your routine. The first step is to set a specific and achievable goal. This could be a certain number of pages per day or a specific book that you want to read within a certain timeframe. Setting a goal will give you something to work towards and will help to keep you motivated.
Next, find a time that works best for you to read. This could be first thing in the morning, during your lunch break, or before bed. Make sure to schedule this time into your daily routine and try to stick to it as much as possible. It can also be helpful to find a comfortable and quiet space where you can focus on your reading without distractions.
Another strategy to help build a daily reading habit is to make it a social activity. Join a book club or share your reading progress with friends and family. They can help to keep you accountable and can provide valuable support and encouragement.
If you are looking for additional support and guidance in building a daily habit of reading, I would be happy to connect with you as your coach. Together, we can set specific goals, create a reading plan and make it a daily habit. Feel free to reach out to me, and we can schedule a consultation.
What is getting in the way of your daily reading?
Reflections And Considerations
“I do not really think that for any man valuable ‘criticism’ is usually to be attained hot on the spot: it is then too mixed with mere reaction. Let us listen again more patiently.”
J.R.R. Tolkien in a letter to C.S. Lewis regarding criticisms Tolkien had made of a piece of Lewis’ work.
- Reflection: Where do you need to listen again more patiently to valuable criticism you’ve been given?
- Language I love: in preparation for an upcoming presentation a teammate asked to meet with me prior to “calibrate”. I hadn’t heard the term used in this way before and it gave me a new appreciation for the shared desire for excellence we have in our work.
- Be Visionary: A leader’s vision will tell them what they are NOT going to do as much as what they ARE going to do. Vision clarity gives a leader clear boundaries and momentum for decision-making.
- Podcast The Could Change You: MINUTES ON MASTERY – features simple insights from the Finding Mastery Podcast with high-performance psychologist Michael Gervais and world-leading performers in sports, the arts, and business.
4 ways to make a positive influence in your community
Today we saw a friend and neighbor running down the street. Spontaneously, my 13 and 14-year-old daughters began shouting and cheering him on as he ran by our house.
At that moment I was further reminded of the critical part we play in the relationships with the people who live and work and play in our spaces and places of influence.
Remember today that your community matters and you play an important part in the temperature of that community.
With your words and actions, you will either generate positive, the forward movement for the better OR by your words and actions you will generate negative, obstacles that interfere with the best possible outcome.
Here are 4 suggestions for making a positive impact in your community.
1- Think before you speak or act. – literally, take a breath and pause before you respond to a question or a situation.
2- Speak the truth in love toward those around you.
3- Maintain high positive regard for the people you interact with, and when you can’t, be sure your words are motivated by a desire to do good and not evil.
4- Cheer your neighbors on as they run past your house!
Your community matters and you have influence there.
How will you use it today?
Better leaders, better community, better world.
If you work on leadership skills, your family and your neighborhood get better, right?! Then if your family and your neighborhood get better, your area; your town/city gets better, the local coffee shop, the board of education improves, your entire community improves.
View post to subscribe to site newsletter.
Everything rises and falls on leadership
John C. Maxwell
Now I don’t mean to throw a statement at you like that as soon as you jump on. But I want to say it every day because every day I’m believing this more and more. The better the leadership the better the world. I know this sounds wild, and I realize that this sounds idealistic. I continue to see as I get older and live more of my life, I see the impact that leadership has on homes, on families, and in communities around those homes, and in spaces when you go to the store Target/Walmart, you see the impact of leadership in these people lives, and I just want to say this week that your personal leadership matters.
Your leadership matters right where you’re at. You have the potential, this sounds insane I know, but you have the potential to impact the world from where you live. If your leadership impacts your home for the better, that will impact your neighborhood for the better, even in the relationship with your neighbors and the people you interact with every day. Communication gets better, teamwork gets better, as you work on your own leadership, your fitness gets better, your thinking gets better. If you work on leadership skills, your family and your neighborhood get better, right?! Then if your family and your neighborhood get better, your area; your town/city gets better, the board of education improves, the township improves. When you walk into your local coffee shop with clarity and confidence to talk to the barista with compassion and intention you will improve the environment. Local people get helped by your improved leadership competency; by your increased abilities to make people feel safe to carry on conversations that are meaningful, and so it goes on from your neighborhood then your city and then to the county and people you interact with and the influence you have.
You’ve all heard stories about how a smile begets a smile. I just want to tell you your leadership matters. I am committed to improving my own leadership with you, to help people’s leadership get better together. Not just in their home, not just with their family, but in their work. Because if we help each other get better, with our leadership personally and professionally the world is a better place. John Maxwell said it well: “Everything rises and falls on leadership”. your community rises and falls on the leadership within it or lack thereof. Will you be part of raising it up or letting it fall?
Let’s go together to a place where our leadership is improving, and we’re seeing real change in our family, in our neighborhood, and as a result, in the growing community around us because everything improves when the leader gets better. There is no doubt about that.
I’m in love with the idea that you guys are desiring to be great leaders!
Use the comments below to share one area of leadership you are looking to improve on.
Maybe you’re a student-athlete, maybe you’re a professional business leader, and you’re trying to improve your leadership but stuck somewhere, I’m curious what kind of roadblocks are there that you need to overcome?
Advocacy without Inquiry is Incompetent
Advocacy is described as taking a stand that would bring assistance, advancement, encouragement, recommendation, or a sense of urgency on behalf of something or someone.
Dictionary.com tells us that Advocacy is the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending; active espousal.
I want to suggest to you today that if you are not putting forth the effort to do a thorough inquiry into the perspectives of the people you are attempting to influence, your advocacy is, or will soon be, incompetent.
To promote, encourage, and champion a cause that is of any real value we will be required to convince people to learn something new. Our job as leaders and advocates is to be the vision champions, lead learners, and the chief inquiry experts. If people in our care don’t think we are willing to learn or grow with them we will become tyrants to them.
Would you join me in an effort to grow in the skill of inquiry?
If so, take this challenge:
This week: I will talk with someone about a controversial issue that I do not have a strong stance on and use these questions to assess my capacity for inquiry.
Before I speak on the subject I will ask myself:
– Have I achieved perfect knowledge in this matter?
– Am I open to continued learning?
– What inferences or assumptions am I making?
– What is the observable data I’m using to form my conclusions
– How has my thinking changed on this matter since learning new information?
– Who has helped me explore and challenge the data and my assumptions, inferences, and conclusions?
As I engage with others on the subject:
– Am I asking about their view honestly?
– Am I seeking to truly understand their conclusions?
– Do I explore, listen and offer my own perspective with a growth mindset?
– Do I listen for a larger meaning that could be emerging that would have gone undiscovered without the open sharing of thinking and perspective?
This month: I will listen closely to someone who is clearly on the opposing side of something I believe in strongly and only ask questions to better understand their perspective.
I believe that sharing what we learn is vital for the growth and health of our people. If you choose to join in with me on this practice of inquiry please come back and share what you’ve learned about advocacy and inquiry.
Today’s Success Could Lead to Tomorrows Failure
Do you want to limit your ability to succeed?
Recently I read a line that stated “Usually the things that have made us successful in the past eventually become a source of constraint and limitation.”
Another way I’ve heard this said is “What got you here, won’t get you there.”
The first author took this sentiment to a level of an indictment that is much concerning to me as a leader in transition. We have all experienced various levels of success in our lives and I am no different. As you and I launch into new endeavors whether in our personal or professional lives we lean into the skills, talents, and lessons learned along the way. I would say we are shaped by the journey of our successes and our failures to become a “better” version of ourselves. However, in this authors account of visionary leadership he is challenging this way of thinking and cautioning the reader/leader/learner to be wary of who you’ve become and resist the temptation to trust in the success born talents and persona but rather reinvent yourself into the person you need to be so that your vision can be accomplished.
It seems as though the author is challenging us to resist the temptation to shrink our vision to fit our history.
What will you do with this thought? For me, over here in Jeremiah land, I need to make this kind of idea practical so here are 3 things I plan to do to avoid my own experience constraints.
- Let the vision lead the way
- If the you are confident that the impossible future you’re hoping to create is something that MUST become a reality then doesn’t it make sense that the vision would lead the way . Lets refuse to allow our experience born strengths and weaknesses to direct our day to day, week to week, month to month strategy.
- Learn from “outsiders”
- Tell complete strangers what you’re trying to accomplish and ask them what kind of leader it would take to make this a reality
- Learn from “insiders”
- Tell people you know well what you’re trying to accomplish and ask them what they think your biggest personal constraint will be as you attempt to make it a reality
I’d love to hear from you on this. Comment below and tell me what you think.
Succession Planning Brief
Do you want your team, department, or organization to crumble after you leave? If so, don’t do any of these things…
- Identify Critical Roles
- Identify which roles I am currently filling that our organization should target through this succession plan.
- Build talent profile
- Describe the talent composition required for each critical role at the present time and according to our organization’s future needs.
- Nominate Successors
- Select succession candidates for each critical role through a nomination survey
- Assess Development Needs
- Summarize the talent profile of each succession candidate and identify gaps to target through development.
- Develop Talent
- Outline or update development plans for each candidate, and track recommended and completed development activities.
- Measure Progress
- Update the scorecard, tracking various indicators of improved succession planning outcomes.
Some examples of questions that might need to be asked of your direct oversight between now and your end date:
- How much overlap would be preferred between each candidate and the incumbent leader?
- What level of input would you like from the incumbent in nominating successors?
- Who will handle direction and accountability for the setting and achieving of goals during any overlapping period?
- What is the vision for the final handoff of the role and exchange of authority?
- Who will be the person I would speak to regarding benefit changeover (Insurance/retirement/severance)?
- What type of ask will be made of the workers, including paid staff, for post-transition commitment to work/serve?
God is Redeemer
The bad news of this world is that Sin brings death. Sometimes I think of death in a very myopic way. My grandfather died, his heart stopped beating his lungs ceased their work and his body no longer carried his soul. Physical death is the main idea that enters my mind when I hear the word “death”. But this is too small of a thought. Death is more than this, it is a separation. When my phone dies or my car dies neither of them are gone from my life yet their are useless to me until they are recharged or repaired.
In my life, sin has brought death. By that I mean separation from both God and people. The death and subsequent separation that Sin brought is impossible to repair or recharge by natural means.
In the book titled Genesis I see hope for people like me who’ve messed up and created separation. I am grateful today that God is my Redeemer. He can bring life to dead things and create them new and replace even a higher value on them than what I could’ve imagined.
Here is a video I really like that talks about the first half of the book of Genesis. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Rabbits, Kids & Influence
I planted my vegetable garden this past weekend. 10 Tomato plants, 4 broccoli, 4 cauliflower, 4 zucchini, and a few others. While the day of planting seemed to go well I had 3 unexpected visitors come and go throughout my time planting. Rabbits, three very attentive little rascals with the look of hunger in their eye. I felt like they were watching me just waiting until I turned my back so they could jump the wire fence and begin chowing on my fresh green leafy plants. I decided in that moment that I had to take action. My work and financial investment in this eight foot by six foot garden was and is too valuable to let these little bunnies ruin it.
My son (13 going on 23) and I started planning an all out pellet gun attack on these thieving trespassing rabbits. to make a long story short we watched a lot of youtube videos and learned much about how to shoot, skin and cook a rabbit within a very short period of time. All the while neglecting the reality that my precious animal loving daughter (9) had a completely different perspective on the situation. She considers the garden a communal eatery where all things living can come to enjoy and be satisfied in whatever should grow. You can see where this is going I’m sure. No rabbits die on her watch.
In the end, I realized something very important about my family, our garden and the rabbits. It all has influence. Everything you encounter throughout your day, week, month etc. etc. has the potential to shift you one way or another based on your perspective and values.
My question to you is, what are you doing with your influence?
I influenced the rabbits to come check out the veggies, they influenced me to channel my inner Elmer Fudd. I shared my vision for Rabbit stew with my son. We moved my daughter to a place of protest.
Leadership is something I believe every human being has the capacity to do. Influencing others toward a certain direction comes with varying levels of intentionality, challenges and benefits but at no point do we get a choice to influence or not to influence. We are always influencing someone, thus we are always leading for better or for worse.
Who have you influenced today?
How are the people you’ve encountered today different as a result of encountering you?
How do you want them to remember you?
Did the actions you took lead to a desirable outcome?
What can you do tomorrow to Influence with greater intentionality?
The answers to these questions begin to identify some very important aspects of your own leadership philosophy and style.
*no rabbits were injured in the writing of this blog