Leader Driven Employee Engagement

The Discipline of Review

Regular Reviews of Plans and Progress Lead to Better Performance.

The following is a six-step model that, if followed by a team leader and team member, will result in better communication, alignment and engagement.

Individual Plan

Know What is Important.

Individual engagement starts with knowing what they are, and are not, responsibile for. Everyone should have a plan they ‘own.'

• Makes ongoing responsibilities clear (‘big rocks’)
• Links those responsibilities to the organization's purpose
• Identify projects for improving results
• Holds employees accountable for professional growth

Self-Check-in (Weekly)

Realign Around What’s Important.

This what Steven Covey called the putting in the ‘big rocks’ first. (the bucket representing limited time, and the big rocks being what’s important and the pebbles being distractions that come at you every day)

Doing this well requires:

• Knowing what the ‘big rocks’ are (priorities from your plan)
• Clarifying status of each plan item identifying problems early
• Identify next Action steps so others know what’s coming
• Say no to the urgent but unimportant stuff

Team Check-in (Weekly)

Pull as a Team.

Important work requires usually requires people to cooperate. The Team Check-in process helps:

• Clarify status and misunderstandings
• Catch surprises early
• Make agile adjustments based on the latest information
• Keep the team aligned

1:1 Check-in (Quarterly)

Coach not Command.

Set your managers up to build strong, growth-oriented relationships with every worker. Learn from the past quarter and prepare for the next.

• Compare past plan to and what actually happened
• Focus on the real objective of helping the individual to grow
• Balance individual performance with overall team performance
• Provide perspective the individual may not see
• Consider progress on self-development plan

Stakeholder Check-in

Get Stakeholder Feedback for Every Worker.

High quality performance reviews start collecting the right information. Stakeholder Check-in's help workers see their real contributions and envision their own potential.

This step provides the leader and worker with:

• A review of quarterly check-in conversations and results
• Multi-rater feedback from the employees stakeholders
• A peer assessment of leadership aptitude
• Time savings that can be invested in thinking about the future

Annual Check-In

Take the Long View.

Even with the advent of quarterly check-ins, an annual check-in provides an opportunity to engage employees at a more ‘strategic level’. Weekly meetings and quarterly check-ins tend to be focused on short-term issues. An annual meeting provides an opportunity to step back from the detail and help workers think about their future.

Typical objectives:

• Clear review of what happened last year (20%)
• Understanding of areas of aptitude and strength (40%)
• Opportunities for long-term development (40%)