I remember the conversation vividly. His call came two weeks after my Situational Leadership class and his frustration was evident.
I am asking all the questions you gave us in the training, but they are not giving me any answers. The How can I support you? question is just creating awkward silence, when I know they are buried and complaining. I feel like that training was a waste of time.
That conversation was over a decade ago, and started me on a quest to better support leaders and those they lead in having more meaningful conversations.
So here is my response after years of working with other leaders and individuals in this space.
1. Be patient – The lens of a leader is generally one where they see themselves as nice and approachable, so not answering questions confuses them. Too often, people do not see them as approachable. I can think back to an extremely approachable leader I was working with, and the feedback from her team was She is so busy, I hate to bother her with my problems. Her approachability was impacted by people liking her too much and not wanting to bother her.
Her fault? No.
Her problem? Yes.
Creating the space and continuing to share WHY you believe this time is important is the step to focus on.
2. Look for opportunities to DO support – Talking about support is one thing, but people need proof. Your best people will only need a little proof. Your lowest performers will need a lot of proof. Focus your time and energy on your best people, and continue to provide evidence of your commitment and INVITE your other team members to join the performance conversation.
Notice I did not say try to convince them of your commitment. People have to make their own choices, and you need to focus on what you control which is your actions and keeping what you are thinking in the OPEN part of the Johari Window. (see my video to hear about the JoHari Window)
3. Be patient, and celebrate your successes.
Summer can be a good time to re-start relationships because people are relaxed and have lots of things to talk about. Use this time to build relationships and invite people into more meaningful conversations about their future and the future of your business.
Just don’t get bogged down by the people that do not want to go there.
If you are interested – here is a presentation I created to support individuals in managing their own career and performance. A full whitepaper is available on request – just ask.