Ideas that can help every entrepreneur achieve more.
Most management books are self-help fluff by people whoâve never done what theyâre preaching. So when a fellow founder recommended Julie Zhuoâs The Making of A Manager, I didnât expect much.
Turns out I was wrong.
Zhuoâs book is a bible for entrepreneurs who want to help their team achieve better outcomes. I wish Iâd read this book before founding my first company. Reading it would have helped me avoid many pitfalls.
What follows are the top four lessons from the book with actionable questions on how to use them.
Use these 3 pillars for stellar 1-on-1 meetings
These meetings are an essential lever to building healthy relationships with your team. Zhuo recommends doing a weekly 1-on-1 with every person that reports directly to you.
These 30-minutes should feel a bit awkwardâââbecause thatâs how you realize youâre in the meaningful zone. Strong relationships donât arise from superficial small talk. Instead, talk about mistakes, confront tensions, and share your fears and hope.
But meaningful conversations donât arise naturally. You need to prepare, or as Zhuo writes:
âItâs rare that an amazing conversation springs forth when nobody has a plan for what to talk about. I tell my reports that I want our time together to be valuable, so we should focus on whatâs most important for them.â
When you prepare, think about your reportâs top priorities. How can you help? Moreover, list the feedback that will help your co-worker succeed. Lastly, sharpen your understanding of what âgreatâ looks like.
The main goal of these 1-on-1 meetings is to help your report. What would help them be more successful in what theyâre doing? Donât look for status updates but focus on topics that are hard to discuss in a larger group. Once youâre in the 1-on-1, three pillars will make them valuable.
Identify:
- Whatâs top of mind for you right now?
- What priorities do you think about this week?
- Whatâs the best use of our time today?
Understand:
- What does your ideal outcome look like?
- Whatâs hard for you in getting to that outcome?
- What do you really care about?
- What do you think is the best course of action?
- Whatâs the worst-case scenario youâre worried about?â
Support:
- How can I help you?
- What can I do to make you more successful?
- What was the most useful part of our conversation today?â
Appreciation can work as fuel. Make sure also to reinforce good behavior. Kind words about your co-workerâs unique strengths will help both of you achieve your goals. You know youâve held a great 1-on-1 if your team member found it highly useful.
Transform average meetings into great ones
Even as an entrepreneur, most meetings suck. Theyâre part of any work culture, no matter how small or large your company might be. Yet, most meetings are highly unproductive.
âMeetings are a blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time. [..] walk out of a meeting or drop off a call as soon as itâs obvious you arenât adding value. It is not rude to leave; it is rude to make someone stay and waste their timeâ
â Elon Musk in an email to his staff
While most of us canât simply walk out of meetings, we can be more respectful of each otherâs time. Zhuoâs tips transform average meetings into great ones.
Great meetings should be simple and straightforward. They have a clear purpose and lead to clear outcomes. But having a meeting agenda is not enough. Besides, you need a picture of the desired outcome.
If you schedule a meeting to make a joint decision, make sure every attendee can give their opinion (either through speaking, commenting, or voting). Focus on making the time valuable for everyone involved but donât get lost in details.
In my teamâs last meeting, I put âdecide on communication tool for teamworkâ on the list. I estimated 10 minutes for this discussion. Yet, two co-workers held strong opinions about the different tools, and it became clear that we wouldnât reach an agreement. At the same time, the other four team members involved were indifferent.
Instead of letting this discussion take up the entire meeting time, I asked the two for a brief get-together after the meeting. By removing anything from the agenda that didnât concern all of the attendees, your co-workers will know you respect their time.
Another way to make your meetings more valuable is by being vulnerable. A way to foster opposing opinions is by acknowledging that you donât know everything, Zhuo writes.
Acknowledging your shortcomings with your team will foster a growth mindset. Dare to say when you donât know an answer and ask for your teamâs ideas. Apologize when you made a mistake. Share your learning goals with your team.
Lastly, think about which meetings can be replaced by a call, an email, or a shared document? When Zhuo realized her weekly stand-ups were repetitive, she replaced the meeting with a weekly e-mail.
Use reflection to manage yourself better
The key to managing yourself is understanding your strengths and weaknesses. And a great way to do this is by reflectingâââthe active decision to think about your past. Or, as researchers put it:
âReflection is the intentional attempt to synthesize, abstract, and articulate the key lessons taught by experience.â
We donât have to be visibly active to learn. Progress starts with self-awareness. If we arenât aware of a problem, we canât improve.
I do a yearly reflection every December and another every month, but Zhuoâs input inspired me to do it more regularly. Hereâs a checklist of questions you can ask (and my answer to them):
- How would the people who know and like you describe you in three words?
inspiring, thoughtful, empathetic - Which three qualities are you really proud of?
open-minded, generous, mindful - When you remember your last success, what were the traits that enabled you to succeed?
getting-things-done mentality, reflection, vision - Which positive feedback have you received most commonly from your co-workers or chef?
growth mindset, motivating, efficient - Whenever your worst inner critic sits on your shoulder, what does she yell at you for?
wanting to make it right for everybody, holding back my opinion, not trying hard enough - If you could ask a fairy for three gifts you donât have yetâââwhat would you ask for?
persuasiveness, patience, courage - What are the things that trigger you?
people with overconfidence and inflated egos, not being accountable, the ideas other people donât appreciate my work - What are the three most common pieces of advice from your team or boss on who you can improve?
dare to disagree with popular opinions, share achievements with others, be less direct
If youâre unsure about your strengths and weaknesses, ask the people around you for feedback. Once you have your answers, you can work best with the resources you have.
In the words of American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer John Dewey:
âWe do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.â
Moving Forward
As with all business advice, pick the lessons that best help you in your situation. Focus on the principles that make a difference in your company.
- Use the three pillars of identifying, understanding, and supporting to make every 1-on-1 meaningful.
- Transform average meetings into great ones by removing the ones you donât need and welcoming contradicting opinions.
- Get better at managing yourself by using reflection as a learning tool.
Without application and action, the best advice is worthless. If you, however, apply one principle at a time, youâll realize how these small decisions accumulate and lead to changes in your company.