Solid strategic plans, strong work relationships, high morale and improved performance are all by-products of good questions. Particularly good questions asked in your 1 on 1 meetings with your direct reports.

Remember these meetings are where you as a manager get to help your staff member ‘be the best they can be.’ This is not a forum for you to talk and tell. It is for you to lead and listen.

This potent communication tool can help you discover important information about your business, your staff, yourself, your customers—and create insights that otherwise might have remained hidden.

Below are just a few questions that can have powerful effects on your work and life. Ask your questions without leading, prompting or interrupting, and suspend any assumptions. And then be sure to LISTEN to the answers.

1.What is it that you’d like to see accomplished and how do you see it happening?

2.What are your thoughts? Your concerns?

3.What’s the most important priority to you with this and why?

4.What would you like to see improved?

5.Tell me more. Can you help me understand that a little better?

6.What’s in the way of improved performance? How can you change that? How can I help?

7.If you could change one thing in your life/business/department that would have the greatest impact, what would it be?

8.What prevents you from being able to place more focus on this?

9.What accountability / responsibility do you take for that happening that way / not happening?

10. What actions are you going to take to address that and by when will you have completed them?

These questions are part of my very own number one management system, designed to help you help your people to be the very best they can be.

When I ask my clients which tool or system has made the MOST difference to the way their business works, OR if they had to give up every system except one – which would they keep?

The answer every time is: The one-on-one meeting system. Ask these questions in your one-on-one meeting and you’ll on the way to developing and building powerful management skills in yourself and your people.

Until next time…

P.S. Learn more about working ON your business–talk to the coach! Click here to connect with me!