4 FAQs for Great 1:1s in Team Leadership
Conducting 1:1s with your team members (different from performance reviews) are important because they give you a pulse check on the level of motivation & engagement with your team. There is no perfect way to do a 1:1, so we've decided to do this post in an FAQ style to go over the most common problems when Team Leaders first start their 1:1s.
Q: WHAT SHOULD A 1:1 EVEN CONSIST OF?
A: 1:1s, whether it be for coaching towards operational performance or development & contribution in the team, will not go anywhere if the person being coached doesn't want to go anywhere. Therefore, these conversations should always start with understanding the current state and where the individual wants to go in terms of achievement.
From there, the person conducting the 1:1 can ask questions to prompt the person to find their own solutions and can also offer some solutions of their own. The framework on the left includes all these points - so make sure to apply this in your next 1:1!
Q: I KNOW MY TEAM MEMBER IS NEEDS TO BE MOTIVATED, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO UNDERSTAND IT NOR HOW TO FIX IT. HALP!
A: The video on the left covers two factors that help us understand why the person is not motivated towards a task - after all, there is no such thing as "demotivation." There is simply the question of whether or not what an individual is motivated towards is aligned to where you need them to go. Watch the video on the left to learn more!
Q. I NEED TO FACILITATE A CONVERSATION TO RESOLVE A CONFLICT AND I'M AN INFJ. WHAT DO I DO?
A: Whether you're one of the most conflict-averse personalities out there or if you openly embrace conflict, you always want to resolve conflict in a way that is as FAIR as possible.
The FAIR conversation method was originally intended for group facilitation. BUT: it's a great way to use prompts that actually enable both people involved to empathize with each other's point of view and to come to an actionable resolution. And once we put ourself in the other person's shoes, conflict makes a lot more sense.
Q: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FEEDBACK & ASSESSMENTS?
A: We often talk about the importance of feedback in teams, but assessments can be purposeful as well. They differ in two ways. First: Feedback tends to be a two-way dialogue where as assessments tends to be one-way. Second: Feedback is used as a basis for improvement by exchanging comments on a task completed or a product - something that can go through multiple iterations to be better. Assessments are an evaluation of a quality or ability - something that takes longer to improve. Try an assessment in your next 1:1!