Communication between leaders and their teams is constant, whether it be emails, internal messaging apps or passing conversation. However, how often do they really connect to discuss their current performance, the issues they’re facing and what needs to change? These are normally only had at review time or when something’s gone wrong. But this can create a slow changing environment where points of frustration are allowed to build up amongst the team.
Good leaders are constantly connecting with their teams to keep their finger on the pulse and make sure everything is running like a well-oiled machine. So, if you haven’t had a sit down with your team members recently, here are 4 important questions to help get you started.
Are you being challenged, recognised and trained enough?
Figuring out if your staff is constantly being challenged is a good way to ensure you are getting the most out of your team. Especially those high performing individuals, otherwise they’ll become bored and disengaged and then It won’t be long before they begin looking for a new employer. Furthermore, by putting in the effort to have this conversation with your team and really find out how they are doing, they will feel wanted by the company which boosts engagement.
It’s also equally important to acknowledge when your team is doing good work. Finding out what kind of rewards they would like and put in a plan to help them get them can also be a good motivator. Finally, Professional and personal development is a big focus for professionals so it’s important to find out if they are equipped to not only handle the work they are doing now but also the work ahead.
What are your strengths, and are you utilising them?
To be putting your team to best use, it’s important to understand all their strengths and weaknesses. This way you can ensure they are performing the tasks that they’re good at and that the team is running at 100%. By uncovering the strengths of your team, you may also find that your staff has unique skills that can open the door for new opportunities. By ensuring your team are all utilising their skills, you have a much better chance at keeping them engaged.
Career Coach Nicole Grainger-Marsh says, “A great way to support your staff in recognising strengths is to use a technique called ‘feed forward’. When discussing progress on their work, ask them to tell you what is working well and what they think they have done well. Then have a coaching conversation to enable them to identify how they can apply these strengths in new situations.”
What do you need to grow?
You can’t expect your staff to give their all if they cannot see a pathway to grow and succeed. Therefore, it’s important to work with them to define this pathway by discussing the challenges they face, their goals and the direction they want to go in. Together, you can define solid KPI’s, set clear goals, and highlight development areas for them to grow. By showing your team that you want to contribute to their success and giving them an achievable path to succeed and grow, they are more likely to give 100%.
Are there any issues that need addressing?
The biggest problem with not conversing with the team regularly is that issues can go unresolved for long periods of time. Small issues become bigger until something cracks, and this is not something you need in the workplace. By sitting the team down and going through these issues, problems get resolved, and everyone can get back to work.
By keeping a clear line of communication open with your team and conducting regular meetings to discuss these areas. You will help build an efficient and engaged team.
To further help build the engagement in your team, here are 4 tools to use in the workplace.
