Give Your Team A Free Pass (#MLQH)

Free Pass (noun):

1.     A document entitling the bearer to free transportation.

2.     An exemption from normal processes.

3.     (Baseball) An intentional walk

As we’ve turned the 2021 calendar over to February (that was fast!) you should have your 2021 business plan and roadmap well in place by now, whatever tools or frameworks you use:  OKRs, KPOs, Balanced Scorecard, V2MOM, “Big Rocks,” etc.  (If you have a different model you find really useful, I’d love to hear about it.)

Remember that setting your plan is only one part of your job as a manager. You also need to monitor and track progress; make course corrections; communicate, communicate, communicate; remove obstacles; and coach and develop your team to stay focused and drive results.  Annual business plans are, unfortunately, a little like New Year’s Resolutions: often abandoned and forgotten before the snow melts, with the result being failure to achieve those goals set with such enthusiasm back in January.

One simple and powerful way to improve commitment and performance is to give each of your direct reports a Free Pass in February.  

A Free Pass is a specific kind of one-on-one conversation where you thank each of your directs for his/her efforts over the last year, calling out specific things you really appreciated as well as flagging any learnings or insights. (These should be positive, not critical.)  

With that foundation, you then ask each direct:  “Looking back over the last year, what do you think I could have done to be even more effective as your boss?  If you could give me some unsolicited feedback or advice, what would you tell me?  Be honest—you have a free pass.”

Ideally, ask this question at the end of your standing one-on-one meeting, and tell your direct you’d like to hear her/his feedback at the start of your next meeting.  This gives them time to reflect and prepare—some people, especially introverts, don’t do well on the spot.   

When it’s time to receive your advice and feedback, you must do only one thing:  Listen.  Don’t respond; don’t correct the person giving you feedback; don’t try to “explain” why you did something or show them that they didn’t really understand.  Just listen, and think about what your direct report is telling you, and why she’s telling you that.  And then thank her. And then think about what you can do with that feedback.

Leaders don’t get a lot of feedback: “it’s lonely at the top.”  Having the courage to ask for feedback, and showing some vulnerability, will give you good ideas and insights to help you learn, grow, and build on your successes as a boss.  The exercise will also empower your direct reports and deepen trust and transparency.