How to ask questions you would never (or could never) ask

Have you ever been overwhelmed as a leader? Stupid question...of course you have! Sometimes the whirlwind of leadership feels like quicksand – the more we struggle to get out the deeper we sink. Mark Miller has written several best-sellers on leadership, and in this episode he and Chris walk though some key strategies from his book "Smart Leadership", where he'll give us some tips on how to take control of our uncontrollable circumstances.Take the leadership assessment mentioned in the blog: Text besmart  to 66866 Text Mark (really!) with your questions: (678) 612-8441Follow Mark: Website/blog, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube And do you want to build trust with your team by having REAL conversations? Start with the right questions. Download our FREE guide to 35+ great 1:1 questions!You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

What would it be like if we could ask our team members, or our managers, the questions we REALLY want to ask? And what if they could think about the answers before answering them? In this episode Chris shares how you can ask questions that will deepen relationships with your team members in a way you might never have imagined.And do you want to build trust with your team by having REAL conversations? Start with the right questions. Download our FREE guide to 35+ great 1:1 questions!Related blog post: How to ask questions you would never (or could never) ask by UptickPost mentioned in the podcast: "Why One-on-Ones" by UptickYou can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

If you've been a manager for very long, you know the difficulty in managing different types of people – especially in the are of accountability. In this episode, taken from Uptick's "Next Level 1:1s" course, Michael and Chris take about 3 perspectives on accountability and how to lead your team according to how their perspective.Related podcast: How to build (or rebuild) trust with your team by UptickCourse mentioned in the podcast: "Next Level One-on-Ones" by UptickYou can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Every manager has different biases, and that makes performance reviews difficult for team members. What one manager values may be different than what another values. This is problematic, since most people don't have strict numerical goals that are easily evaluated. In this episode Michael and Chris talk honestly about these realities and they share a couple ideas of how to build trust by giving rich, real-time feedback.Related blog post: Let's Radically Rethink Year-End Reviews by UptickCourse mentioned in the podcast: "How to Give a Great Performance Review" by UptickAnd would you like to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Many managers feel boxed in by the review processes their company requires. In this episode Chris shares some ideas that will help you comply with your company's process while still giving your team members the kind of review that will build trust, increase productivity and take the pain out of what is often an awful experience for both team member and manager. Related blog post: How Managers Can Take the Dread Out of Year End Reviews by UptickReview prompts Chris mentioned in the podcast:Completion of High Value GoalsThis section relates to the projects assigned individually that add lasting value to the company as a whole. Write out each that you were assigned and describe the process you went through to achieve it, or what occurred that prevented completion.Productivity and Measurable ResultsShare about when you've been most productive and include when and why it's difficult to be productive. Also, share some specifics regarding what you've accomplished since the last review that may have been missed in the previous section.Impact on My TeamTeamwork is important in building a strong corporate culture. Describe the ways in which your work, your attitude, and your character have had a positive impact on your team over the last quarter.Virtues & ValuesReflect back and note specific virtues or values that you have lived out in your work, as well as where would you like to see personal growth. Some examples are virtues such as "patience" or "compassion", and values such as "innovation" or "excellence".Areas where I would like to growHopefully, we're all striving to improve ourselves personally and professionally. Share how you would like to continue or kick-start your growth in the coming quarter.Ways my manager can help meIt is important that you understand what is expected of you, and managers can clear obstacles out of your way to help you be more productive. A thoughtful, specific response will help your manager know how to support you well.Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

If you feel out of your depth when navigating conflict, consider turning to the experts: hostage negotiators. These professionals have mastered the art of defusing conflict when it’s literally life-or-death. In this episode Chris summarizes the topic and adds some insight as to how to use your one on ones to both mitigate conflict and deal with it as it happens.Related blog post: Conflict Management Skills Managers Can Learn From Hostage Negotiators by UptickBook referred to in this episode: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss  Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Performance reviews can suck, and one of the main reasons is that there hasn't been adequate preparation. As Chris shares in this episode, there are several things you can do that will make a performance review not only tolerable, but a great way to recognize the growth you've seen in your team member throughout the review cycle. This will help establish healthy relationships with your team members and build the great team you want to lead. Related blog post: How Managers Can Take the Dread Out of Year End Reviews by UptickWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Sometimes performance reviews seem void of any meaningful purpose. Why do we do them? Compliance? Professional development? Performance improvement? And are they supposed to serve the company, the team member of the manager? In this episode Chris suggests that "all of the above" is a reasonable answer and can bring new purpose to performance reviews.Book mentioned in the podcast: Atomic Habits by James ClearWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Rigid, "black and white" performance reviews are awful. Managers hate giving them, and team members are afraid of them. We've made them presentation instead of conversation, and we neglect to make the meeting a human experience. Chris shares some of his own failures while bringing to the conversation some ideas on how to make review a better experience for everyone.Related blog post: Let's Radically Rethink Year-end Reviews by UptickWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

For many of us, our experience with on-on-one meetings is less than stellar. Talking about the local sports teams, the weather, the weekend or  simply giving status updates feels like a waste of time for both managers and team members. In a business climate that is more competitive than ever, why should we spend more time in meetings? In this episode, Chris revisits his recent blog post that explores why one-on-ones may be the most important thing you can do to build great teams and keep your best people.Related blog post: Why one-on-ones? by UptickWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.