LifeLabs manager training notes to self

Week #1: Coaching Skills

Questions + Playbacks + Split-tracks

• Ask more questions!
• Ask more open questions!
• Question of the week for me: “What are the options?”
• Playbacks
  • “I heard you say ____. . .”
• Split-tracks
  • “I hear you saying a few things, which one should we start with?”
  • Empower your partner to decide – there’s a reason we hired you and I want you to help me unravel this
• Open vs. closed questions
  • Closed – do, are, is, have, can, would
  • Open – what, how, when, who, which, (why)
    • “Why” questions can be okay, but tone is important

SOON Funnel

1. Playbacks + Split-tracks – clarify scope of conversation.
2. Success – what does success look like (in the pre-agreed-upon scope)?
3. Obstacles – what are the obstacles?
4. Options – what are the options?
5. Next steps – what are the next steps?

Playbacks + split-tracks are great throughout☝🏼

Week #1 Practice

• Q-step: ask one more step than usual
• Utilize playbacks and split-tracks

Week #2: (missed)

Week #3: Productivity & Prioritization

Top 4 challenges

1. Chronemics: time awareness
2. Prioritization: knowing what adds greatest value
3. Organization: having a process for tasks
4. Focus: working without disruptions

Chronemics

• Model time integrity – start and end meetings on time (signal-setting)
• Clean up blur words – quick question, two seconds, sometime next week, ASAP
• Use time language
  • in our last 10 minutes. . .
  • should we extend by 15?
  • estimation skills: What’s your estimate? Did your estimate pan out?
• Time audit – track 15-minute chunks of day (note planned vs unplanned time)

Prioritization

MIT (Most Important Thing) Method

• • 1-3 top things
  • Criteria are often implicit
  • Explicit criteria helps

• Quadrant method

  Ask. . .

  • Is this really the MIT right now?
  • Can I streamline it going forward?
  • Am I the best person to do this?
  • Calendar block
    • Know your availability/energy patterns
    • Over-calendar-block! Block extra time
    • Help your team calendar block if that would be supportive
      • How can I support you in calendar blocking more effectively?
  • Recharge
    • Model recharge: set your status icon so it’s explicit

Bucket method

• What’s this quarter about?
• What % of time is going to each bucket currently?
• Activity: go through current calendar and see what the natural buckets are and how much time is going to each

Organization

Open loops

• Beware of the Zeigarnik Effect
  • Open loops create “psychic residue”
  • They take up valuable brain real estate
• Consistent Capture System (CCS)
  • To-do list
  • Calendaring
  • Notes

Focus

If-then cues

• If I open my laptop, then I pick my MITs
• If it’s 12pm, then I will answer emails for 30 minutes
• If someone on the team has headphones on, then we’ll email our questions
• IfI am designing new content, then I will listen to the “focus” Spotify playlist
• Personal: If I want to ignore Slack for 20 minutes, then I will put on my Spotify playlist

Pomodoro technique

• 30 minute chunk to concretize time-boxing
  • 25 minutes on
  • 5 minutes off
  • Interrupted? Start over!
  • Helpful for vague tasks

Week #4: Effective 1:1’s

Common challenges

• Postponed/cancelled
• Nothing to say
• Focus is only on project updates

1:1’s are sacred management time

• Coach
• Give + get feedback
• Prioritize + align
• 1:1’s are your most important management tool

Understand engagement

5 Brain cravings

CAMPS

• Certainty
• Autonomy
• Meaning
• Progress
• Social Inclusion

1. Progress

• Start 1:1’s with small wins
• Task-boxing
• Milestone development
  • Regular specific feedback
  • Individual development plan (see below)
    • Something you want to improve. . .
    • Who do you know who does this very well?
      • What do they do specifically?
    • What is your current level on this?
      • What’s one small step you can take to move up 1 point?

2. Meaning

• Use impact statements
  • “This matters because. . .”
  • “I’m bringing it up because. . .”
• Use 1:1 time to connect day-to-day back to higher meaning
• Next steps:
  • Connect meaning in 1:1’s

3. Autonomy

• Give more choice or more direction
• What are you the CEO of?
  • Each person can/should have some domains of ownership
  • “I would love for you to feel like you get to own parts of our team process/progress. Any particular areas/domains that come to mind?”
  • Ideas: own an HBML
• Next steps:
  • Have autonomy conversation
  • Find/give ownership

4. Social Inclusion

• Small talk matters
  • What can you ask about them and share about self?
• Build networks
  • Who do they go to for support? Who would they like more contact with?
• Team dynamics
  • Who stays quiet, doesn’t get responses,
• Next steps:
  • Be sure to ask about folks’ lives outside of work
  • COVID-19 – check in on extroverts on how isolation is impacting them

5. Certainty

• Hacks
  • Create routines and rituals (e.g. gong to start meeting, weekly missions)
  • Consistent 1:1’s
  • Take notes and follow up
  • Set clear expectations (clearly define success)
• Next steps:
  •