In order to stay in touch with employees, make timely mid-course corrections, avoid surprises and maximize the chances of success, I am in the habit of conducting monthly one-on-one coaching sessions with each member of my team. This practice ensures that we step back and review progress together at least once a month. Here's how I do it.
Preparation
Employee
- Prepare short update notes on actions agreed to at the last meeting.
- Collect data on progress against objectives this month and year-to-date.
- Think about where you need help and support (think in terms of ARIA).
Supervisor
- Review your notes from the last meeting.
- Review any notes you have on leadership and team behaviors of the employee.
Meeting
- I usually book a full hour for each meeting, although they rarely take that long.
- The employee begins by giving a quick update on last month's action items.
- Then both discuss progress against objectives. The focus should be on identifying any barriers to success, and sorting out how the supervisor can help. The supervisor needs to be sure to acknowledge any success in the last month - see my post on giving feedback for reminders on how to do this.
- The supervisor comments on any leadership or team behavior that has been particularly effective or ineffective for the employee.
- THE HARD PART FOR MANY OF US: The supervisor asks for feedback from the employee. Ask things like:
- "How do you feel about how I am managing you?"
- "What works well about my style in managing you?"
- "What might work better with you?"
- About once a quarter, take extra time to review the employee's development plan and set development actions for the next 90 days.
- Agree on any follow-up actions.
- The supervisor gives the employee an informal year-to-date rating: On Target, Above Target, Below Target.
After the meeting
Either the supervisor or the employee writes up notes on the meeting, then shares them with the other. For an example of what this might look like, you can download a somewhat disguised copy of the notes on the coaching session I had with my boss, Great Guy, in January 2001 [PDF, 64KB].
