One of the most important roles for leaders is this combination of challenging and supporting people with their growth. The problem for me is keeping all of the information straight in my head so I don’t forget. Over the years, I’ve tried several approaches and today I use a combination of the them.
- If you use a planner…I know, you can laugh but I only gave mine up a few years ago and constantly considering getting it back. Immediately, flip forward to the next one-on-one day of the the calendar and make a note of the challenge to follow up (with any key action items).
- Once I got rid of my planner, I started setting reminders (challenge with any key action items) in my email calendar for our next one on one or for a few weeks out.
- Today my calendar gets a little overwhelming – so I use Trello cards to track outstanding topics with people I’m coaching. I have a separate column just for these items and I sort them by upcoming dates to discuss again.
These techniques have been helpful in doing the little things for people. For example, I was at a conference where a friend shared that she is really struggling lately. I made a note in my calendar to follow up this week and check in. Nothing major but I know how fast time can fly by – how busy we can get with day to day…and although I care, I also forget. These approaches have helped me remain present for people.
How do you remember to continuously check in or follow up (when it’s not just an action item/task)?
