That’s right. Once a week I meet with every single person on my team. Sometimes our meetings are 15 minutes, other times a half hour.

I even ask them to complete a weekly form before our meeting. I adapted it from Cy Wakeman’s Reality Based Leadership book and it covers some very basic concepts:

• What were your challenges this week?
• Successes?
• Items you must accomplish this week?
• Accomplishments from last week?
• Do you need resources? Support?
• Where can I help?

Benefits Include:

• I’m in the loop on my team’s work on a weekly basis
• An open forum, an opportunity for my direct reports to bring up topics that aren’t part of the weekly work
• It’s an opportunity for feedback on both sides.

But, Once a Week! Isn’t That Excessive?

Perhaps.

If you have 15 direct reports, 15 meetings is is very cumbersome and I do not recommend it at all.

In my case, I have a small team and they all do different things (HR, IT and Administrative work). Without weekly meetings I could easily lose touch with what my team is up to because 1/2 my team isn’t involved in HR.

Is It For You?

If once a week seems excessive, try every other week or once a month. As the responsibilities of your role and your direct reports increases, its important to establish some kind of system where you can regularly and consistently stay in touch with your team. My system may not fit everyone, but it fits me. Find the system that fits you and your team.

You Win With People