Whether you were promoted up from within a team or are starting a brand new job as a team leader, you’ll want to get acquainted with all the personalities on your team, as well as their dynamics with each other, early on.
Don’t wait to schedule one-on-ones with each team member to get a sense for their overall engagement and job satisfaction. Set the tone early by transparently and candidly getting to know them as individuals: what motivates them, what frustrates them and where they see their career going in the future.
Our No. 1 piece of advice for this early conversations: Clearly communicate to your team members that you’ve got their back from Day 1. Establish a foundation of transparency and trust early on that will carry on through your relationship.
Here are some things to explore during these GTK (get-to-know) meetings:
- Career journey: How did you get to this job?
- What is your favorite thing about your job now?
- What do you wish there were more of?
- How do you feel about senior leadership?
- How do you feel about the team’s overall dynamics?
- How do you feel about the office environment?
- What are your personal career goals and how can I help create a plan to get there?
Pro-tip: Tiffany Pham, CEO & Founder of Mogul, says she prefers to schedule one-on-ones with her team members outside of the office. “I never eat alone,” she tells us. By getting your team members out of the cube and into a more relaxed setting, you’ll learn more about them and how their work and their lives intersect.
