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One meeting completely changed how I managed and led my first team.
It was a called a Quarterly Conversation and here's how it worked:
It was a called a Quarterly Conversation and here's how it worked:
We scheduled these out for at least a year, so I and my direct reports knew when it was months in advance and could prepare. One hour meetings, every three months, one-on-one.
We tracked the conversations in our project management system so there was a record of the notes from these conversations throughout an employee's time at the company.
The 1st part of the convo is to review the roles/responsibilities of the employee. We'd make sure that they were still the same from the last convo or get them updated. Then we'd discuss, for each item, if they 1) Get it 2) Want it 3) Have the capacity (ability) to do it.
Next we'd EACH talk through what's working and what's not working. We didn't wing it, we were both prepared. This could be tactical items ("this software sucks"), coworkers ("I'm having a hard time communicating with ___"), or broader discussion on decisions made, workflow, etc.
It's important to talk through the above AND work towards possible solutions. Don't just vent and think everyone feels better. Get to a solution either right there in the convo or by writing down action items for next steps.
Next I'd ask about their professional & personal goals and if they feel like they are pursuing them in this role. If not, we'd talk about how to change that. Sharing personal goals is completely optional - but helps you make sure you're leading the person, not just the employee.
Lastly, we'd both share one thing we want the other to Start Doing ("Delegate more of ___ to me, I'm ready") and one thing we want the other to Stop Doing ("Don't jump in to help on things until I ask")
TL;DR - Every three months, have an honest, one-on-one conversation with each of your direct reports. Get as much feedback as you give, here's an agenda:
-Review roles & responsibilities
-Discuss What's Working/Not Working
-Set Personal/Professional Goals
-Start/Stop One Thing
-Review roles & responsibilities
-Discuss What's Working/Not Working
-Set Personal/Professional Goals
-Start/Stop One Thing
P.S. This format is based on the EOS Quarterly Conversation model with some additions/changes from me and my company.
I can also talk about Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) ALL DAY if anyone wants to hear about that let me know. It was game changing.
I can also talk about Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) ALL DAY if anyone wants to hear about that let me know. It was game changing.
