I was speaking with a client who has been having a problem with a member of their team and as we were discussing the challenges; it was a matter of how they say things, rather than what they said, I asked if that had been communicated to the individual, the manager said no, but it was in their objectives, as it is for all managers.
So I asked what happened when you discussed these objectives as you set them, I was told we were really busy at the time, so I put them on the system but we never had a conversation - “they know they are there though”
How do your objective setting conversations go with your team? Have you ever formally set objectives?
A wise woman once said “just because you’ve sent me an email doesn’t mean I've read it or actioned it if you want me to do something come and talk to me”
Setting amazing. Motivating, empowering objectives means absolutely nothing if you haven't taken the time to discuss them individually with the members of your team. This is the reason why so many employees believe that annual objectives are not worth the paper they are written on and that any bonus or progression linked to them is worthless.
Have you ever been in that position? You think you have ticked all of the boxes and then some new skill or behaviour is added to the mix?
It’s more important than ever to make sure that you are clearly communicating your objective with your team, individually. Make the time to schedule a meeting (video call) to discuss the objectives, rather than just setting them and saying “come back to me if you have any questions”.
Here are some tips to ensure that your conversation goes well:
Set a time and date to meet, this isn't an ad hoc conversation. Give the meeting the respect it deserves
Ensure there are no interruptions, don't be checking your emails or answering your phone (unless there is a specific urgent call that you are waiting for, in that case, make the individual aware)
Have a Face to Face conversation (virtually at the moment), this isn’t a phone call type of conversation
Share an agenda (e.g, Business update, Organisational objectives, Discuss previous objectives, Discuss career path, Discuss developmental needs, Discuss new/revised objectives, Confirm next steps)
Take time to check how the individual is doing outside of work things, that they don't have any external stressors that could be contributing to poor performance
Have the individual take the notes and send them to you, that way you can check that they fully understand their new objectives.
Get that meeting scheduled, prepare beforehand, share your business vision and get your team to join you on your journey - an effective team needs to be pulling in the same direction.
Need help communicating effectively with your team, schedule a call to discuss how we can help you here