By: Psalm Pueblos
Here in Leadfunnel.ph, we make it a point to have 1-on-1 meetings with everyone. Started out with me and Kahlil, and later on with me with Jason and Abby. For at least once a month, we discuss about our greatest accomplishments during the period, what actions we should keep doing, and what are our biggest room for improvements.
Why do we do this? One good reason is that we want to prevent stagnation in our team. Especially for in-house sales teams, it is crucial that everyone gets to meet the quota, every mind focused on the same goal. Therefore, both manager and all his or her members have to be on the same page.
Of course, that does not always happen. We face our own challenges, either in motivation, productivity, or interaction with clients. As a manager, you have to be aware of what is happening with your members, guide them when they realize that they are in a slump, and even more so when they don’t realize it.
But the most important thing to know is that this is also your own feedback loop. Especially when you are the boss, you don’t often have anyone to check on you. Numbers do not show the entire story, and work culture between everyone is what builds growth and sustainability for your team. Your members may notice something that needs to be addressed, but they don’t have the avenue to do so. These 1-on-1 meetings can help, encouraging them to voice out their concerns about you.
This is where I need to stop for a moment and make this point across first: do not be offended by what your members will say. This is a big concern, especially for traditional Philippine business, that superiority wields infallibility. It doesn’t. No doubt, there should be guidelines in how these meetings work, to make sure that everyone is responsible for what they say. But you have to accept any kind of feedback, and use it as fuel to grow. Your members are in the best position to help you. Hear them out.
Understandably, the first few meetings will be awkward. When Kahlil first introduced it to me, I couldn’t even bring myself to tell him anything wrong, so I made the excuse of not being able to think of anything. It came to a point that he had enough of it, and forced me to give him one negative feedback per meeting.
Slowly though, I began to realize that it’s not about being on his good side. It’s about helping the team grow, helping the company to grow. And so I gave him feedback more naturally, whether good or bad, and he gave me feedback as well, challenging me to improve every passing day.
And it happened when I was helping Jason and Abby. It was difficult for them to tell me negative feedback at first, but they later understood it as well. It even became easier for them to understand how the company works, and suggested things not only for me to grow, but for Leadfunnel.ph as well.
I know that for some teams, this is a difficult proposition. But all teams need to grow, including you. And no other person is more capable of helping you than the ones you work with the closest.
Here in Leadfunnel.ph, we make it a point to have 1-on-1 meetings with everyone. Started out with me and Kahlil, and later on with me with Jason and Abby. For at least once a month, we discuss about our greatest accomplishments during the period, what actions we should keep doing, and what are our biggest room for improvements.
Why do we do this? One good reason is that we want to prevent stagnation in our team. Especially for in-house sales teams, it is crucial that everyone gets to meet the quota, every mind focused on the same goal. Therefore, both manager and all his or her members have to be on the same page.
Of course, that does not always happen. We face our own challenges, either in motivation, productivity, or interaction with clients. As a manager, you have to be aware of what is happening with your members, guide them when they realize that they are in a slump, and even more so when they don’t realize it.
But the most important thing to know is that this is also your own feedback loop. Especially when you are the boss, you don’t often have anyone to check on you. Numbers do not show the entire story, and work culture between everyone is what builds growth and sustainability for your team. Your members may notice something that needs to be addressed, but they don’t have the avenue to do so. These 1-on-1 meetings can help, encouraging them to voice out their concerns about you.
This is where I need to stop for a moment and make this point across first: do not be offended by what your members will say. This is a big concern, especially for traditional Philippine business, that superiority wields infallibility. It doesn’t. No doubt, there should be guidelines in how these meetings work, to make sure that everyone is responsible for what they say. But you have to accept any kind of feedback, and use it as fuel to grow. Your members are in the best position to help you. Hear them out.
Understandably, the first few meetings will be awkward. When Kahlil first introduced it to me, I couldn’t even bring myself to tell him anything wrong, so I made the excuse of not being able to think of anything. It came to a point that he had enough of it, and forced me to give him one negative feedback per meeting.
Slowly though, I began to realize that it’s not about being on his good side. It’s about helping the team grow, helping the company to grow. And so I gave him feedback more naturally, whether good or bad, and he gave me feedback as well, challenging me to improve every passing day.
And it happened when I was helping Jason and Abby. It was difficult for them to tell me negative feedback at first, but they later understood it as well. It even became easier for them to understand how the company works, and suggested things not only for me to grow, but for Leadfunnel.ph as well.
I know that for some teams, this is a difficult proposition. But all teams need to grow, including you. And no other person is more capable of helping you than the ones you work with the closest.
Psalm handles sales development here at Leadfunnel.ph. A photographer and writer, he appreciates the different things people are passionate about. Even the small things matter.
Feel free to message him at psalm.pueblos@leadfunnel.ph.
Feel free to message him at psalm.pueblos@leadfunnel.ph.
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