A client (let’s call him Roger) came to me with the question – “How do I find the time to connect with all eight of my direct reports?” Roger added, “I care about them but with the overwhelm that I’m experiencing at work, I have to find a better way to connect with them.”
You should know that this guy is REALLY sincere in his desire. And most of you are like him. You care deeply about investing in your people but feel constrained by the number of hours available in the day.
I began coaching Roger by making a request. I asked him to remove meetings, connecting, additional conversations and any other pre-conceived strategies from his thoughts. Then I asked him a question, “When your people walk out the door at the end of the week, how do you want them to FEEL?” Roger paused and produced the following list:
- I accomplished something.
- I’m appreciated.
- My boss supports me.
- This is a good place to work.
- I’m more than my job.
- I enjoy what I do.
- It’s going to get better. (if it was a tough week)
My guess is that your list isn’t much different than Roger’s list.
Next, I asked him to pick the feeling that he most wanted to create this week. He picked “I’m appreciated.”
Next question, “What can you do in the natural order of your day to express appreciation?”
For Roger, he looked at his calendar and could see he had already scheduled interactions with all eight of his people. He committed to starting each conversation with an acknowledgement and appreciation of a behavior or action they did and the impact it had.
Roger is on his way to having his people experience the feelings he hopes they will feel.
How about you? Start with the following questions:
- How do you want your people to feel when they complete the week?
- What feeling is the most important for you to create this week?
- How can you create that feeling in the natural order of your shared work?
The catalyst for this conversation was The Intentional Leader platform that provides leaders like Roger with access to world-class coaching and leadership development without breaking the bank or disrupting the course of work. If you care deeply about your people but don’t see how you can invest in them, check out The Intentional Leader platform.