Questions a manager can ask

Anonymous

April 7,2022 at 5:16PM UTC

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Questions a manager can ask

Hi, I am managing a few people under me. I am supposed to take 1:1 calls with by the end of each week to go through their tasks of the week and find out if they have any problems and all (general manager stuff). What type of questions can I ask to my team members to understand their perspectives better. are there any themes i can talk them around?

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AnonymousApril 7,2022 at 7:52PM UTC
1) What was the most challenging thing you had to work on this week? Why was it challenging for you? What did you feel you did well when handling it? What is still causing difficulty and what is your strategy in dealing with this issue?
2) What kind of support do you need from management and where should we back off? Where do you feel we are being too intrusive and why?
AnonymousApril 7,2022 at 8:14PM UTC
My manager (who is great) always just lets us guide our 1:1 meetings. There are no formal questions, just let's us talk about anything we need her help on. She also makes time to ask how our lives are going, which has resulted in a really functional, close-knit family type feel for the team that has really boosted productivity. I personally prefer that more casual format and it works well for us. Might be different for your industry, but that's my preference as a worker.
AnonymousApril 8,2022 at 4:50AM UTC
It’ll be good to ask if there’s anything you can do to remove roadblock or challenges. Sometimes, when manager gets involve, it might make the process go faster.
AnonymousApril 8,2022 at 8:38AM UTC
You can ask them how many meetings they would prefer so off the bat you know their perferred method of communication. They you can send generic quesstionaires that assess if they're overwhelmed etc...
AnonymousApril 8,2022 at 11:11AM UTC
We drive our 1:1 as well. But my manager does ask the following questions to guide our conversation:
top 3 accomplishments from the past week
top 3 tasks for the following week (any supports needed)
feedback for manager (so manager knows how to improve as well)
any questions
AnonymousApril 8,2022 at 7:16PM UTC
Check the questions in the book, The 12 Elements of Great Managing. They are essential questions that indicate employee engagement, and lead to better productivity.