How engaging are your 121 meetings?
One of your objectives as a leader is to engage the people in your team and having regular 121 meetings is just one way of doing this. Spending quality with your team member, will help them feel valued and more engaged.
However, some leaders resist the idea of scheduling in those 121 meeting because they are too busy and the adhoc conversations during the day with do. However, this won’t do.
1:1 meetings are a great opportunity to boost team engagement, so have them regularly scheduled to create a habit.
Preparation is key but don’t over think it. You should aim for an informal and free conversation style meeting. You will need to decide what information you need, what is it you want to say, then prioritise so you cover the important bits first. (just in case you run out of time)
Remember this is quality time with your team member an opportunity to talk about them. So give them the time they deserve, focus on the most important tools you have; listening skills and questioning.
Ensure you have the meeting somewhere where you can minimise work distractions, so turn off your phone and move away from your desk or even the office.
Use your active listening skills. Listen to what’s not being said by tuning into the body language and tone. Don’t be afraid of silence after a question, give them time to respond without interrupting them.
Encourage the flow of conversation by asking open questions, they will give a more relaxed feel to the meeting and ultimately you will gain more information.
Be curious during the meeting, join them in a quest to find out more and explore their potential. “That’s interesting, tell me more…”
In the right situations you can adopt a coaching approach to help them to explore their potential by asking questions to guide them, but don’t give them the answers.
Ask for feedback and be open to receiving it! You can always improve you own performance.
Agree next steps and send a short summary of what was covered during the meeting, confirming any actions that need to be taken by yourself or your team member.
Be creative with your meeting locations, don’t allow the meetings to become dull and predictable. Maybe try a walk around a park, a hangout area in the office or a coffee shop nearby. Try to avoid the same location for every meeting.
So grab yourself a pen and notebook and engage with your team member!