One thing you can do to make your teams better
Lots of couples have Date Night. It's a night when they move away from the regular housework and life administration like groceries, cleaning and paying bills. It's a time to spend focused on each other and 'just be us'. I know that when my wife and I are finding ourselves stretched by other commitments, Date Night often falls away - because we are spending lots of time talking with each other anyway. That's a trap - there is something different about dedicated 1:1 time that is not task related and not explicitly 'functional'.
Dedicated time that is non-transactional strengthens relationships, improves the communication channels and allows people to check in on the really important stuff. To dive deeper instead of continuing to skim the surface.
It is exactly the same in our teams. I am rarely prescriptive when I work with leaders, but a regular 1:1 routine is the one thing that I explicitly recommend. It is the single best thing that I know of that leaders can do to consistently lift their teams' performance.
If you are not doing this, please start. If you are doing this, please keep it up and make sure that they are getting better.
This isn't just for designated leaders. If you are working across teams and need to have strong working relationships with certain people, you can invest in time that strengthens those connections.
There are many, many reasons why this is a great use of your limited time, energy and attention. That's a post for another day. Today, let's cover off on the three biggest concerns that I hear from leaders.
We speak all the time anyway. Do I really need to have 1:1 on top of that?
My answer is..."Yep, it's like Date Night." It's a different type of conversation.
This isn't about talking about the stuff you talk about daily that are likely to be transactional conversations about projects or tasks. It's an opportunity to better understand your team members, what they are worried about, what they are loving about their work and ultimately over time who they are - and who they want to be. Then you are in a better position to help them and they are better able to understand how they contribute to the team.
I'm busy. How long and how often should these be?
I get that the idea of more meetings doesn't fill you with joy. These meetings are an investment that will ultimately save you time (if you stick at it).
In terms of specifics - prioritise regularity over length. So, if you have a choice between half an hour every fortnight or 15 minutes every week, go for 15 minutes every week. Here are some rough guidelines:
Teams 6 or under - weekly for at least 15 minutes
Teams 7-12 - fortnightly for at least 30 minutes
Teams 12+ - monthly for at least 45 minutes
You'll know what makes sense in your team, but in general go for a schedule that makes sense. If in doubt when starting out, err on the side of feeling like it's too often (as opposed to just enough or too infrequent).
Things change for me all the time. What if I need to cancel?
Things happen and you will need to go to another meeting or take another call at the exact same time. My recommendation? Don't ever cancel (unless it's for holidays or illness). Reschedule rather than cancel. When you do reschedule, do it proactively (last minute reschedule is pretty demoralising for the team if it happens consistently). This is all about sending the message that your team’s development is important and you value it. The signal that cancelling sends is not a great one.
Think of a 1:1 routine like going to the gym – first goal is to start going, second goal is to keep going! Photo by Trust "Tru" Katsande on Unsplash
With all of this, the biggest tip that I have is this:
Focus on quantity first, worry about the quality later
It’s a bit counterintuitive, but stick with me! One of the biggest reasons that leaders don’t do this (apart from not feeling like there is time) is that they don’t know what to say or do in the conversations. It’s more important to have the conversations and build them into your routine. Over time, you will strengthen the relationship and the quality of the conversation will improve. Think of it like going to the gym – first goal is to start going, second goal is to keep going! Eventually if you keep going for long enough, you will start to notice that your conversations are improving in quality and that you are both getting value from them (and that it’s actually saving you time because people won’t be interrupting you as much!).
Some questions for you to consider:
Who do you need to build or maintain a strong working relationship with?
What are you willing to invest to make it happen?