Anyone in a leadership position knows (or should know!) how important it is to have regular and frequent one-on-ones with each person on your team. Jessica Stillman’s article in Inc. provides a great list of questions that should be regularly asked if you want to retain and motivate people, especially in the age of the “Great Resignation” and “Quiet Quitting”.
Giving team members a chance to detail their accomplishments, confirm priorities, and identify obstacles and challenges is essential to boost morale and motivation – not to mention creating a smooth-running, effective team.
One of the main reasons people stay in jobs is the relationships. The most frequent reason for leaving is stress and frustration. One-on-ones are an easy and effective way to build relationships as well as reduce stress and frustration.
Those meetings give you a chance to create or deepen personal rapport as well as understand each team member’s goals and aspirations. There is not enough room for everyone at the top of the organizational pyramid – not that everyone wants to be at the top – but understanding what is important to people and what lights them up professionally is critical to taking advantage of their strengths, supporting their goals, and keeping them on the team.
What questions do you use in one-on-ones? How do you get people to open up?
