The 8 Questions: An Important Conversation for Team Member Engagement

Have a conversation already!

One of the most powerful things a team leader can do is to engage in conversation with those she/he is privileged to work with.    Unfortunately, the time for these conversations usually falls to the bottom of the priority list (which it shouldn't) in face of the pressing demands of the business.   Equally unfortunate is that the annual review often is not productive in terms of getting team members to open up;   it is shrouded in the anxiety of "what kind of rating am I going to get" and "how big of a raise will I receive."

All of which brought me to this:    I schedule a time with each of my team members, without their supervisor, to just come into my office and talk.  I explain to them that even though I take notes, this does not go into their HR file and is not a formal evaluation tool.    This is their time to say what is on their mind.  In advance, I provide them with the eight questions I want them to answer:

What is the mission of our company?

What is your role (your importance) in that mission?

How is the balance between your personal life and professional life?

Do you have the tools you need to do your job?

What do you want to do next, career-wise, within or outside of our company?

How can we enable you to do your job better/make your job more enjoyable?

What concerns may you have regarding your job?

If I knew what to ask you, what would I ask?

The first time you go through this - it may seem awkward, both to you and the team member.   But as you do this with consistency (annually or semi-annually), both parties become more comfortable and relaxed.  Also remember that this is a conversation;   the individual's reply to one of the questions may lead both of you into a greater dialogue surrounding that specific subject - which is awesome!

I enter the process prepared to hear all sorts of both positive and negative feedback;   I am also prepared to take immediate action (if appropriate) on what I hear.     The latter validates the value of the team member and their contribution to their conversation.

More important than all of that, however, is that this conversation should open up an ongoing dialogue.  If people have been reticent to approach you (which you really don't want), this literally opens the door to their input and the investment of one-to-one time acknowledges their ongoing contribution.

Some would say they can't afford the time to have such a conversation with their team members.  Truth is, you can't afford not to.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.