The 1:1 Ritual: Building Trust, Optimism, and Engagement with Your Team

Hi, this is Bobbie LaPorte, back with another week – and another year – of “Calling the Game.” In these videos, I share my own experience and insights while giving you valuable tools you can use to call your own game…and plan the best moves for you and your team.

In my final video of 2023, Navigating Year-End Uncertainty with Resilience, you may recall that I shared the somewhat bleak news about recent employee surveys showing we are experiencing all-time low levels of engagement, hope, and optimism—but also record-high stress levels.

That’s not a great combination—and I know it poses a real challenge for leaders like you. It’s been a tough few years, and you may already be struggling to maintain a positive outlook amidst unrelenting uncertainty.

But it’s a new year, right? And isn’t that generally the time when we all want to have a fresh start and renewed expectations?

Well, yes. But we also have to be honest with ourselves: this environment probably won’t change much in the first half of 2024. And you should not assume that your team will be returning from the holidays completely refreshed and prepared for the new year.

So, what can you do to help your team members transition back to work…and find some of that elusive hope and optimism in the year ahead?

Leadership Tip: Reigniting Hope and Engagement in Your Team

I shared several tips in my last video, and in the coming weeks, I’ll be going into more detail about each one.

My first suggestion is to intentionally foster open communications by being available and approachable for your team—right now, next month, and all year long.

One way to do this is with regularly scheduled 1:1 meetings with your team members. Make it a priority to keep those, even though it can be tempting to skip or cancel them, especially with all the demands of starting a new work year.

Let me share an example.

One of my long-time clients makes his 1:1 meetings with his team a ritual. Something extraordinary has to happen for him to cancel. And those meetings are not meant to cover updates on their work unless there is a major stumbling block they need help with.

These meetings are PERSONAL; they talk about the goals they are working on, successes they are having, things they would like to work on to leverage what they do well, and what’s happening in their personal lives. Over the years, his direct reports have shared with me that these meetings are the highlight of their work week.

Most recently, my client has been very intentional about making sure these standing meetings take place so he understands how his team is dealing with these challenging conditions.

He knows that time invested in these meetings can provide valuable insights, build trust, and create stronger personal relationships. The chance to connect on a personal level is SO important, especially in today’s remote/hybrid work environments.

So, seize the opportunity and make the commitment. Give your team something they know they can count on. Provide them with the chance to voice any concerns—and to know that they have your support.

I cannot emphasize this strongly enough!

Don’t underestimate this simple but very powerful way for your team to stay connected and engaged.

OK, that’s it for this week’s “Calling the Game.” If you’d like even more guidance on this practice, you can go to my website and watch the video from September, Balancing Business Demands and Team Connection.

I hope this helps you and your team members build a little more certainty into the start of 2024!

Resources

• Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report
• Pew Research Center: 2023 Midterm Elections Survey
• The Conference Board: Consumer Confidence Index
• APA 2023 Work in America Survey: Workplaces as engines of psychological health and well-being