Managers, listen up. If you want to build strong relationships and communication habits among your teams, open up a Google Doc or grab your favorite whiteboard marker. Now write down these three words:
Start. Stop. Continue.
As a manager, you need to stay curious and ask the right questions. Those three words are a simple yet powerful tool that act as a guidepost for learning and recording what is working on your team, what isn’t working, and what should be introduced to create a better work environment. This exercise has been widely used in agile development to review recent sprints or by team leads to assess what went well in the past quarter.
But it’s also a great tactic for managers to use at any time.
“It’s a great conversation starter,” Collin Jackson, an exchange communication team lead at Belvedere Trading, said. “In particular, the start, stop, continue format shows that you welcome the same candid, continuous feedback that you provide to your reports.”
Asking these questions helps break down barriers between you and your team and reminds them that you are concerned about their wellbeing, Jackson said.
Jackson uses this method and a couple other tactics to build trust and communication. Below are some of his tricks.
What are three of the most important questions a manager should ask their direct reports?
First, I think it’s important to have frequent one-on-one meetings with your direct reports so you have a venue to ask these questions. One oft-suggested topic for one-on-one meetings is “start, stop, continue.” I find that directly asking what you can start, stop and continue results in good discussion, but slightly rewording the questions to, “What can I do to help you feel supported?” leads to more in-depth conversations. Additionally, ask your team members what they’re concerned about. The answers may surprise you and often range from recent personnel changes to a long commute, to an architectural deficiency in your software that could cause a lot of pain in the future. Finally, ask your reports what they want to talk about. Some team members may have no problem speaking up, but others appreciate you carving out space just for them and reassuring them that you want to hear what they have to say.
Effective management requires clear communication, well-defined expectations and trust.’’
Why are these questions so important to ask?
Effective management requires clear communication, well-defined expectations and trust. Asking for feedback from your reports reminds them that you are invested in their success, want to elevate them and celebrate their wins. Additionally, asking what your reports are concerned about and what they want to discuss creates a more inclusive environment for those who are less likely to share their thoughts. These types of questions also get team members thinking about their experience, career progression and what they want, which helps them actively participate in coaching discussions.
How does asking questions like these impact the relationships you have with your direct reports?
Early in my management career, a new member joined my team and quickly exceeded all my expectations. During one of our regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings a few weeks in, I asked what they were concerned about. To my surprise, they shared that they felt as though they were not contributing enough and were not sure of their performance. After reassuring them that they were a strong contributor to the team, I more concretely outlined my expectations for them, agreed to give more frequent feedback, and encouraged them to ask for my input if they felt similarly in the future. Going forward, our communication was more candid and frequent, and they became a key contributor to the team.
Belvedere Trading is a fintech trading firm that specializes in equity index and commodity derivatives.
