The
following tips for holding successful meetings will help you and help
your reporting staff members to succeed when they are most empowered.
Regular one to one employee meetings are very important. These meetings
set the forum for a communication channel from management to employees,
as well as from employees to management. For an employee being informed
creates a feeling of involvement and increases the sense of ownership
that stimulates productivity.
To maximize the time and productivity of both parties, the meeting
works best when it’s organized. This time spent together can
be
considered a fact finding and an employee empowering session.
These are the times that you can work together with your staff member
to prepare them to take ownership and empower them to go out and
perform.
1. What’s the
objective?
The first step is to decide what are you trying to accomplish in these
meetings? The goal is important to ascertain before meetings as this
goal will focus the staff member towards attainment. This helps to
review progress on hitting a project milestone and set the next steps
for keeping the project on track.
2.
What’s the ideal outcome?
This serves as a reminder especially when it comes to dealing with
tough issues which you are seeking a positive result. Sometimes
personal emotions take control of the real issue and as a result it is
easy to lose sight of the positive goal you are seeking. This forum is
a chance to recognize accomplishments, set future direction, and
maintain accountability.
- For example: If you’re
dealing with a
situation in which confusion exists, the positive outcome is a plan
that provides clear direction.
3. How should the manager prepare?
You may have stimulating questions to ask, information to provide, or
something to teach; you may need to give direction or spell out
expectations. Sometimes you may need to prepare by reminding yourself
to listen and be patient. Whatever the case, come prepared. As part of
this exchange it is important to remember that coaching takes place
through two-way conversations so try not to dominate the
conversation.
4. What
should the employee prepare?
In order to get the most out of these meetings you may send some
questions or an outline in advance for the areas you would like to
cover during the meeting. No matter what plan or agenda you
seek
for this session it is important to encourage employee participation?
5. How is this meeting valuable
to the employee?
Ultimately, you want your employees to drive the one-on-one meetings.
You want them to bring to the meeting the issues, challenges,
opportunities and ideas to discuss. In essence, the meeting is a
two-way street as the employee’s role is to take
responsibility;
yours is to provide support and add value that helps the employee
perform well.
6. What follow-up should be set?
There should be action items for both the manager and staff 
member
before completing the meeting. If the employee discusses
issues
or opportunities for improvement, he/she should come prepared next time
with ideas for possible solutions and even changes that they have
already implemented. This enables the employee to take ownership and
feel empowered which in turn results in increased productivity and an
improved level of personal responsibility. It is possible
that
the manager may have to assist with driving some of the exchange of
ideas resulting in management action items. Both parties should agree
on a list of the deliverables for which the employee and the manager
are to report progress in the next meeting. Once you have agreed on the
action items, communicate a going forward plan that puts the idea into
action or allows the employee to bring proposals into the next meeting.
As the meeting closes, set a follow-up time to check progress. Doing
this allows you to stay connected, builds in accountability for the
employee, and for you as a manager and shows that you care about the
outcome.
Helena Ferrari, PHR Director of Human Resources has worked with many
businesses globally throughout her twelve-year career as a Human
Resources Professional. Through the Human Resources function's role as
a strategic business partner, Helena develops change initiatives and
performance enhancing programs that improves organizations
competitiveness through people. For more valuable information on either
forming or expanding a Human Resource (HR) programs for your business
visit http://www.advantages4you.com.
If you would like additional information on this topic or others,
please contact your Human Resources department or Dana at Lighthouse
Consulting
Services LLC dana@lighthouseconsulting.com.
Permission
is needed from Lighthouse Consulting Services, LLC to
reproduce any portion provided in this article.
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