“I didn’t know this was the actual job,” is something I hear often during the week in my leadership workshops. The “this” they are referring to is communicating, listening, delegating, onboarding, having one-on-one meetings and advocating for the needs of others. I refer to them as human-centered skills and they are the backbone of good leadership.
The simplest way to start practicing these skills is to schedule recurring meetings with your team. It doesn’t matter if it’s weekly or monthly, you need to be meeting with your direct reports. It needs to be on the calendar, and do everything you can to avoid canceling. If you do, reschedule immediately.
These meetings are opportunities for you to connect with your team and begin to understand what their needs, concerns and goals are. The best one-on-ones are employee-driven, so I encourage you to let them set the agenda. Ask what they need and how you can support them, rather than a list of what they're working on.
