In my previous newsletters in the #ScaleItUpIn2023 series, I spoke about the importance of a leadership memo and decision making. In this newsletter, I am going to focus on year end conversations. 

Year end conversations are great for giving and receiving feedback. I am not talking about just a performance review but a deeper and more vulnerable conversation around what matters to your team members and what matters to the organization. 

I have seen that more often than not these conversations turn into year-end performance reviews. As someone driving these conversations, try to put them in the right direction. Being clear in your head and setting the agenda straight for the team helps in driving them in the right direction. Some of the questions that I usually ask in these conversations with my directs are:

• What does your dream job look like?

• What will help you to make this your dream job?

• What do you think about me as a leader? What did I do well, what could have been better?

• What matters to you the most at work? Do you have it here?

Talk to them about,

• the organization’s goals and vision in the coming year

• where do they fit in

In fact, I suggest all my directs and leaders to also hold these conversations with their teams. It gives them a clear sense of what their teams expect from the organization and from their jobs.

Tips to Hold Year-End Conversations Effectively

If you’re planning on having these conversations any time soon with your teams then keep in mind that:

• Conversation is about the employee and not you: Focus more on the expectations of the team member and less on the organization’s and your own expectations. This will help them have a more honest conversation.

• Don’t make any promises or commitments: Don’t make any promises like potential increments or promotions. You should only commit about how you, as a leader, will implement the given feedback.

• Create a safe place for discussion: Listen and listen more. Be honest and vulnerable. Make your team trust you that the conversation will not impact their performance reviews. This will help them open up and trust you more. 

All in all, I suggest you to be genuine and transparent during these conversations to make the chats more effective. Ask as many questions as you want but understand where they want to go next. How would they carve their dream role and also what do they look out for in their dream manager.

The first step to scaling up an organization is to scale up the team and these conversations really help. 

Have you set time with your team yet? How do you plan to hold these conversations?