If you lead a team, coaching people and giving regular feedback — positive and constructive — is part of the job. Prioritizing 1on1s and doing the “soft stuff” that builds morale, culture and people are strategic elements of leadership. If you hesitate to give feedback for fear of being the “bad guy”, put your people’s success in front of the need to be liked.
It’s a disservice to withhold information from them that informs your view of their performance. Put people at the top of your priority list and elevate your 1on1s. Using 1on1s to run down a list of things people are working on or throw more on their plate without understanding what’s already there is the formula for a bad 1on1. To use the face-to-face time wisely, have the basic facts before the meeting. (You can use WorkBoard to see prior week progress in status reports and check priorities, workload and progress to goal ahead of the meeting so you go in informed.)
In the meeting, cover these five topics to connect, calibrate and coach for more impact:
Between 1on1s, follow through on your commitments to remove roadblocks and enable growth. Done well and consistently, 1on1s make year-end performance reviews a non-event – there are no surprises, everyone has the same facts, and there is one view of performance. Unlike annual reviews, 1on1s give people the input and opportunity to improve performance.
Different personalities, skill sets and performance levels make 1on1s diverse and sometimes challenging. Like everything else, consistency and practice will vastly improves your skillfulness and effectiveness in 1on1 conversations. As a manager, your ability to execute through your team either limits or accelerates your career, so with 1on1s it’s great to remember practice makes perfect.
WorkBoard helps managers connect, calibrate and coach employees. An easy 1on1 “journal” makes it easy to plan and conduct regular touchpoints while feedback badges make it simple and fun.
Learn more about using WorkBoard for effective 1on1s.
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