Written by Peter Tran

One of the greatest investments you can put into your people is your time - to get to know not just about their work performance, but about them as people and their life outside work. There is a saying: “Win their hearts and you can win their minds.”

When you regularly spend time with your people one-on-one, you get to know them on a deeper level. The consistency of your meetings will demonstrate to them that they are important to you and that you care about them, beyond their role as an employee.

Over time your influence with them will grow, making your guidance more likely to be heard and consistently actioned. Remember, they don’t care about what you know until they know how much you care. The Smartre Management System recommends one-on-one meetings conducted weekly at a set time. The structure of the meeting will be dependent on where they are at in their career.

Earlier in their career the conversations will focus on management of daily behaviours you expect from them. As they become more experienced and their results more consistent, your conversations will naturally transition to a more leadership-centred narrative.

Sometimes you will have an agenda to discuss, only to have the conversation go down a completely different path. I recently had a meeting with a salesperson to discuss a drop in standards and culture, only to have a completely different conversation about some major issues he was facing at home with his family. The conversation shifted towards the support he needed to continue performing at a high level with all that was happening around him.

That is the beauty of having these meetings consistently. You become close to them and they feel comfortable enough to open up about their challenges. It gives you a clear insight into how to manage and lead them in light of their operating environment. 

Spend time with your people. Genuinely care for them by getting to understand and know them not just as an employee, and it will repay you tenfold. You do this by structuring your weeks so one-on-one meetings are non-negotiable.