After carefully preparing the conversation, you can start. The employee has
entered the office – now what? There is no universal recipe. The opening of the
meeting depends on the setting, experiences and expectations of you and your
employee. Whether you use general topics (family, travel, vacation, etc.) to open
the meeting or you get to the point at once depends on the situation and should
be adapted to the personality of the employee. In both cases, it is important to
articulate goals early in the conversation. It is also important to create a good
atmosphere by carefully choosing your words and adopting a humble demeanor.
The employee should feel secure, on equal footing and free to “open up.”
The third phase is the longest, namely the employee interview, which concerns
“the true matter.” Here, keeping the following success factors in mind can help:
The conversation should be kept factual and friendly.
The employee should have sufficient opportunities to speak.
Monologues on the part of the manager are inappropriate.
The manager should not interrupt the employee.
The employee should first have the opportunity to take initiative and state where
they see their own strengths and weaknesses. The manager may inquire by asking
why.
Only after this step should you confirm or correct the employees’ self-
assessment.
Criticism should be constructive and in the “I” form and should never focus on
the employee’s personality or be in “you” form.
The manager should admit his or her own shortcomings and seek alternative
solutions. The best solution is one proposed by the employee himself/herself.
Following important points you should ask whether you have been properly
understood.
Conflicts and “sore points” should be openly discussed and not swept under the
rug – ensuring this happens is the manager’s responsibility.
Problems should not be immediately assessed, but first analyzed objectively with
reference to the causes.
Open questions are important: What do you think? What do you suggest? How
do you like that?
The manager should identify possible solutions and provide assistance.
You should also double check that the employee has understood exactly your
opinion on a particular goal or a particular measure. Work on the worst-case scenario
assumption that communication mostly fails.
During the conversation the personal characters of both the supervisor and the
employee always play a role. Try to recognize moods intuitively and direct them by
paying close attention to both yourself and the other party.
The next phase of the interview is a good close. This should primarily include a
summary of the key issues: What issues were raised? What goals were determined?
Where was agreement reached, and where do opinions still differ? Should a superior
be included in the case of disagreement? Where is the focus for next year compared
to this year? What measures have been defined, and what timeframe?
208 4 More Than Just Talking or: The Instruments of Systemic Leadership