What's the Gap?
Before you throw in the towel on a recurring issue, know there’s always a solution. There’s always a way to get the information you need to understand your next right step.
While overseeing a 40+ person team, we had a reoccurring performance issue (Julianne here 👋). Everyone was doing great work, but this gap kept occurring week after week, and my leadership team couldn’t get to the bottom of it.
Supervisors were reporting that they were having hard conversations during 1:1 supervisions. They shared they were giving inspiring (and clear) pep talks during team meetings, but still, the problem reoccurred.
While I was reading Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull, he said, “There are many valid reasons why people aren’t candid with one another in a work environment. Your job is to search for those reasons and then address them.” 💡
So, we did several focus groups. And as a result, my leadership team and I were able to identify several gaps. It wasn’t that our employees were underperforming; it was that several systems/processes we had in place were barriers to them working effectively.
Once we identified the systemic issues (some operational, some relational), we could regroup, recreate, and support everyone to perform at their best.
Think of it this way, when you’re working with a family or couple clinically, you often have a perspective about their process that they can’t see yet.
Our employees hold this same unique perspective on our business and operations. They often can see a part of the process we can’t- they can help us fill the gap in a process they regularly engage in.
When you find yourself stuck trying to solve a recurring problem, they might hold the unique perspective you’re looking for. It’s often those doing the job that have the best insights.
Rather than focusing conversations on what’s preventing your employee from meeting a standard or following a process consistently, have an honest discussion (or focus group) about when it goes right. Talk about times when they feel they have the tools and support to succeed.
When you get curious first, you can put aside the need for a punitive conversation and instead utilize the talent you have. Asking the right questions gets you the data you need to make informed decisions that are best for everyone.
Our belief is that creating safety is your number one goal in focus groups. Your employees need to truly know and believe they can speak with transparency without consequence (unless, of course, it’s a legal concern).
Seeking, the 4th element of our Cultivate TRUST framework, is all about getting curious- this means gathering all the data you need to make collaborative and informative decisions.
The goal of a focus group is to acknowledge barriers yet uncover and discuss strategies and tools that assist your employees in consistently meeting expectations or following through with processes.
You can open your meeting with saying, “This meeting is not intended to be punitive or shaming. I see and hear how hard each of you work. It is my responsibility to support us in meeting our goals”.
And you can ask them to discuss the following with you:
What is one thing you need from those in the room today to openly have a discussion about x (process/expectation)?
What is one thing that might get in the way of us being transparent with one another today?
What are the most common barriers you experience with x (process/expectation)?
Let’s discuss times when you have had success with x (process/expectation)?
What strategies and tools did you use to meet x (process/expectation)
What factors contributed to you meeting this standard/or succeeding in using this process?
Do you currently have the tools or resources to meet this standard or complete this process?
What do you need from your management team or me to meet this standard or complete this process?
To wrap up your meeting ask them, “how was today’s meeting for you?” or “did you find this useful?” Clarify for them and for you, “what is one or two things you can start integrating right away in your day-to-day?”
Do you want to explore what focus groups or open feedback loops could mean for your group practice? Schedule a complimentary consultation with us to discuss what would be right for your practice.