High Output Management

Schedule Regular One-on-One Meetings: Make it a priority to set aside time each week or bi-weekly for one-on-one meetings with each team member. This consistent schedule shows your commitment to their development and provides a regular forum for feedback and coaching.

Prepare an Agenda, But Be Flexible: Before each meeting, prepare a brief agenda of topics you'd like to cover, including feedback on recent work, discussion of goals, and any concerns. However, allow room for employees to bring up their own topics or issues, making the conversation a two-way street.

Create a Safe Space for Open Dialogue: Emphasize the confidentiality of these meetings and encourage honest communication. Let your team members know that this is their time to share thoughts, concerns, and aspirations without judgment.

Focus on Active Listening: During the meetings, practice active listening. This means fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just passively 'hearing' the message. Ask open-ended questions to encourage deeper discussion and show that you value their input.

Follow Up on Action Items: If action items or goals are set during the meeting, make sure to follow up on them in subsequent sessions. This demonstrates that you take their concerns and development seriously and are committed to helping them grow.

Example 1: A manager notices that an employee seems disengaged during team meetings and schedules a one-on-one to discuss any concerns. During the meeting, the employee reveals feeling overwhelmed by their current project load. Together, they work out a plan to redistribute some tasks and set clearer priorities.

Example 2: During a one-on-one, a team member expresses interest in learning new skills related to a different aspect of the business. The manager uses this opportunity to discuss potential training programs and sets up a plan for the employee to shadow another team for a short period to gain exposure.

Define Your Objectives Clearly: Start by identifying what you want to achieve in your professional or personal projects. Make sure these objectives are specific and meaningful to you or your team.

Break Down Your Objectives into Key Results: For each objective, list out 2-3 key results that would indicate you've achieved that objective. These should be quantifiable and time-bound.

Review and Adjust Regularly: Set a regular schedule, perhaps monthly or quarterly, to review your OKRs. Be honest about what's working and what's not, and don't be afraid to adjust your key results or even your objectives if necessary.

Share Your OKRs: If you're working in a team, make sure everyone is aware of the collective OKRs. This ensures everyone is aligned and working towards the same goals.

Celebrate Achievements: When you hit a key result or achieve an objective, take the time to celebrate. This can be as simple as acknowledging the achievement in a team meeting. It's important for morale and motivation.

Objective: Increase the company's social media presence. Key Results: Gain 1,000 new followers on our main social media platform within the next quarter; Increase engagement (likes, shares, comments) by 20% compared to the previous quarter.

Objective: Improve personal health. Key Results: Lose 10 pounds in the next six months; Run a total of 150 miles in the next three months.

Assess Employee Experience and Task Complexity: Start by evaluating the experience level of your team members in relation to the tasks you're assigning. Consider both their overall professional experience and their familiarity with the specific task or project.

Adapt Your Leadership Style: If you're dealing with less experienced employees or those facing a new kind of task, adopt a more hands-on approach. This could mean providing detailed instructions, regular check-ins, and being available for questions. As they grow more competent, gradually pull back, offering guidance only when needed.

Encourage Autonomy: For employees who demonstrate high task-relevant maturity, encourage autonomy by setting clear objectives but allowing them the freedom to achieve these in their own way. This trust can boost motivation and innovation.

Provide Constructive Feedback: Regardless of their maturity level, all employees benefit from feedback. Make sure it's constructive and tailored to their current level of autonomy and responsibility. Highlight what's working well and offer specific advice on areas for improvement.

Review and Adjust Regularly: Task-relevant maturity isn't static; it can change as people learn and grow, or as tasks evolve. Regularly review your approach to each employee and adjust your level of supervision and support as necessary.

A new hire is tasked with managing a social media campaign. Initially, the manager provides a detailed plan, sets up daily check-ins to discuss progress, and is available to answer questions. As the employee becomes more comfortable and demonstrates understanding, the manager moves to weekly check-ins, eventually only reviewing the final results.

An experienced team member is given a new type of project they haven't handled before. The manager starts with a brief overview and is available for questions, but does not micromanage. As the employee shows competence, the manager steps back further, offering support only when specifically requested.

Identify the Purpose of Your Meetings: Before scheduling a meeting, clearly define its purpose. Is it for routine updates (process-oriented), addressing a specific challenge (mission-oriented), or providing individual feedback (one-on-one)? This clarity will help you decide who needs to be there and what needs to be discussed.

Prepare an Agenda in Advance: Once you've identified the meeting's purpose, draft a concise agenda outlining the topics to be covered, and share it with participants ahead of time. This allows everyone to prepare and ensures the meeting stays on track.

Allocate Specific Times for Each Agenda Item: To keep the meeting efficient, assign a specific amount of time to each agenda item and stick to it. This prevents any single topic from monopolizing the meeting and ensures all important points are covered.

Follow Up with Action Items: After the meeting, summarize the discussion, decisions made, and any assigned action items. Send this summary to all participants to ensure everyone is on the same page and knows what is expected moving forward.

In a process-oriented meeting, a team leader might review weekly sales figures, discuss any deviations from targets, and brainstorm strategies to address these gaps. The agenda could include items like 'Review of Weekly Sales Figures', 'Analysis of Sales Shortfalls', and 'Strategies for Improvement', with each item allocated a specific time frame.

For a mission-oriented meeting focused on launching a new product, the agenda might include 'Final Review of Product Features', 'Marketing Strategy Discussion', and 'Launch Timeline and Responsibilities'. Each team member could be assigned specific tasks related to their expertise, ensuring a collaborative approach to the project.

Encourage Open Dialogue: Make it a point to regularly ask for opinions and insights from your team members. This could be during meetings, via email, or even in one-on-one sessions. Let them know that all perspectives are valued and that you're interested in data-driven arguments.

Create a Safe Environment for Debate: Establish clear guidelines for discussions that ensure respect and openness. Remind everyone that the goal is to find the best solution, not to 'win' the argument. This can help reduce hesitancy in sharing differing viewpoints.

Implement a 'Data First' Policy: Before any major decision, ask for the relevant data. This could mean sales figures, customer feedback, or any other measurable evidence. Make it a practice to base decisions on this data rather than gut feelings or assumptions.

Promote Critical Thinking: Encourage your team to question assumptions and consider alternative viewpoints. You can do this by asking probing questions during discussions and rewarding those who bring new insights or challenge the status quo with data-backed arguments.

Provide Access to Data: Ensure that your team has easy access to the data they need to make informed decisions. This might involve investing in better data management tools or simply organizing existing data more effectively.

During a team meeting to decide on a marketing strategy, a manager asks each team member to present data supporting their proposed approach. The team then debates the merits of each approach, focusing on the data presented, leading to a consensus on the most data-supported strategy.

A product development team is divided on the features to include in the next release. The manager sets up a session where each side presents user feedback, market research, and projected costs associated with their proposed features. The team then discusses these points openly, leading to a decision that balances user demand with development feasibility.