Individual Listening Sessions Can be a Valuable Tool for Any Leader - Here is How You Can Make Them Work for You.

Connecting with your team is an important part of being a leader. The best way any leader can build trust, improve engagement, and ensure they are aligned with the current, relevant issues is to listen directly to your associates. Setting up and defining the goals for one on one sessions with your entire team can be a valuable tool in helping to understand what obstacles they may face, where inefficiencies lie, and a way to hear about the successes they are creating and are a part of.

Here are some tips on how you can set up effective listening sessions with your team. These types of sessions should not be limited to only your direct reports. I would encourage anyone to set up meetings with as many associates as you can at all levels. As a Store Manager, speak with the part-time associates that may only work weekends. Even as a multi-unit leader of larger geographies, the more you can connect with front line associates, the better, more rounded your feedback capture will be.

Define the sessions

This is an important first step. If you set up a meeting with an associate you generally do not have meetings with, red flags go up, and questions begin flowing. State upfront that you want to hear from everyone. Define the sessions as listening and learning opportunities, and they are not performance-related. This is not specifically about any one person; it is about the collective view they all have of the store, market area, and company.

Plan them

Set up the meeting far enough in advance to ensure everyone can prepare for the time. I would not recommend that you try to capture associate feedback ‘on the fly’ or whenever you happen to have free moments. By scheduling, you can let people know that the time is important and provide the opportunity to be ready to meet. Plus, this ensures that you can schedule uninterrupted time. It will be critical that you remain focused during these sessions; planning ahead should allow for that.

Have a general agenda

While these should be relatively freeform to allow the associates to share whatever they are comfortable with, having a high-level agenda of areas you want to explore will ensure you remain on track. Providing this ahead of the meeting will also allow the team members to begin thinking about what they may discuss during the time. Reinforce at the start of the session that the agenda is only a guide, and you are interested in hearing anything they have to share.

The other benefit of having the agenda is to redirect the conversation in case you end up in a direction that may not be productive. You want to listen, you want to capture great feedback, but some associates may only want to share only the problems or inequities they see. The agenda can help steer the conversation back to where the most value can come from that information.

Vary them based on who you are meeting with

Your meeting (and possibly agenda) may need to vary based on who you are speaking with. Depending on your company’s size and type of business, how you connect and communicate with different levels of associates may need to vary. The goal is to create an environment where the associates are comfortable speaking with you and can share their honest perspectives, ideas, and activities.

Should be 80/20 sessions - 80% you LISTEN and 20% you SHARE something useful to them

These sessions are also an opportunity for you to share your perspective and insights on the business you are in. That should not be the dominant outcome, however. Eighty percent of the dedicated time should be you listening to them. As you get into an open conversation or even a question and answer session, then you can speak. Even as they are providing their thoughts and ideas, it is best to capture the information and concentrate on listening versus trying to respond to their questions and concerns immediately. You can establish that upfront as part of the agenda - you will primarily be listening as they speak.

I have found that these types of sessions can uncover some great opportunities to improve the work environment, the customer experience, and even new ways to have immediate impacts on the business results. Our team members see a lot of things in the course of their day to day work. Leverage their knowledge and experience to help you build a better place for everyone. I am confident that your team will enjoy the sessions and feel more engaged in the work and company after these types of sessions.

How will you use your one on one listening sessions to support your business this year?

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