Team members want a lot of things from leaders:
Guidance, loyalty, opportunity, challenge, respect, recognition, advocacy, support. The list is expansive. And good leaders do their best to comply.
But there is one thing team members secretly desire that they don’t expect and won’t ask for:
Despite the many interactions they have with leaders, team members yearn for a special conversation that is exclusively about them.
For their part, most leaders are oblivious to this desire and fail to recognize how important it is to their team members.
It’s not a difficult conversation, nor does it necessitate preparation, although it does require leaders to be thoughtful in their insights and generous with their interest.
The majority of team members thirst for a special conversation with their leaders that involves being asked three inquisitive questions: “Where do you want to go in your career?” “What skill development or training do you need?” and “What is your plan to get there?”
Such simple but powerful questions that often lead to a deep and meaningful connection.
We all want the people we respect to take an interest in the path we are following. Leaders who make the time and take an interest in the glide path of our lives show a unique brand of compassion.
By focusing on who people want to be, what they want to experience, and where they want to land, leaders give team members something only they can provide. The potential impact of this conversation cannot be overstated.
Many of the most important things in life are free. They just take some time and genuine interest.
This special conversation is one of them. Consider having it with each and every person you lead.
A Daily Dispatch from the Front Lines of Leadership.
