Who’s Really In Your Team – and What Do They Want

So you’ve arranged a one to one with each of your team. Opening and maintaining lines of communication with the team can engage your people while at the same time gaining a new, fresh perspective on the issues you face. You might also find you have people with skills and ambitions that can offer a valuable contribution in other areas of the business.

But how do you start the ball rolling? 

Here are a few key questions designed to elicit the information you need.

Before you start asking the questions, let the person know that this is a no risk conversation and that you have three main aims:

1. to find out a bit more about them and what’s important to them,
2. to get some honest feedback on the firm and
3. to hear their ideas about the future direction of the business.

What first attracted you to the firm?
Their answer will probably fall into two areas: values and environmental factors. It’s important to make sure that the values that attracted the person to the firm when they joined are still perceived to be there. Many things may have changed with current market conditions and businesses constantly need to evolve. Whereas this is healthy and necessary, you need to make sure that you don’t lose sight of the core values that brought people to the company in the first place.

Where has the company lived up to or fallen short of your expectations?
Assessing where the company has met, exceeded or indeed fallen short of an individual’s expectations, can identify what aspects of the business need fine tuning. You’ll also discover more about your people and their goals and aspirations.

What do you think the main hurdles are that the firm must clear?
You probably have a pretty good idea of what the problems are from your perspective, but it can only serve you better to find out what the people on the ground think. Seeking their opinion will also assure them that they are a vital component in the machinery of the company. Further still, ask them how they would go about tackling the issues – you may find you unearth one or two expert problem solvers.

How do you think you can contribute best to the firm going forward?
It’s helpful to understand how each person sees their contribution, strengths and weaknesses. In this way you can best align career expectations with your needs. When team members have a clear understanding of their career path, they acquire a sense of direction and can focus on achieving their goals.