Stop Resisting – Learn to Use Them Well
I grew up around the construction trades. Before I was even a teenager I owned my own power tools: A drill, jig saw, and circular saw. I still have the jig saw. But the circular saw had a problem. It was misaligned and it was hard to cut straight with it. I learned then that bad tools get bad results.
Good tools, on the other hand, make getting good results easier – assuming you know how to use them well.
Since a leader’s job is to influence, most of a leader’s tools involve communication. For many leaders, meetings are a powerful tool in their shop that they haven’t learned to use well. Continue reading MEETINGS: Tools of a Leader’s Trade
Common leadership wisdom tells us good leaders hold 1-on-1 meetings with their direct reports. Less common is the wisdom of how to make those meetings a good use of time. Some give up or just hold them occasionally. Others hold them religiously but they’re not really sure why. For some they’re a weekly social time. And in the worst cases, we dread 1-on-1s with our bosses because we know we’ll come away with more things to do and beat up over what we’ve done wrong. Ouch!