Let's Talk Teams

Have you ever been overwhelmed as a leader? Stupid question...of course you have! Sometimes the whirlwind of leadership feels like quicksand – the more we struggle to get out the deeper we sink. Mark Miller has written several best-sellers on leadership, and in this episode he and Chris walk though some key strategies from his book "Smart Leadership", where he'll give us some tips on how to take control of our uncontrollable circumstances.Take the leadership assessment mentioned in the blog: Text besmart  to 66866 Text Mark (really!) with your questions: (678) 612-8441Follow Mark: Website/blog, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube And do you want to build trust with your team by having REAL conversations? Start with the right questions. Download our FREE guide to 35+ great 1:1 questions!You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

What would it be like if we could ask our team members, or our managers, the questions we REALLY want to ask? And what if they could think about the answers before answering them? In this episode Chris shares how you can ask questions that will deepen relationships with your team members in a way you might never have imagined.And do you want to build trust with your team by having REAL conversations? Start with the right questions. Download our FREE guide to 35+ great 1:1 questions!Related blog post: How to ask questions you would never (or could never) ask by UptickPost mentioned in the podcast: "Why One-on-Ones" by UptickYou can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

If you've been a manager for very long, you know the difficulty in managing different types of people – especially in the are of accountability. In this episode, taken from Uptick's "Next Level 1:1s" course, Michael and Chris take about 3 perspectives on accountability and how to lead your team according to how their perspective.Related podcast: How to build (or rebuild) trust with your team by UptickCourse mentioned in the podcast: "Next Level One-on-Ones" by UptickYou can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Every manager has different biases, and that makes performance reviews difficult for team members. What one manager values may be different than what another values. This is problematic, since most people don't have strict numerical goals that are easily evaluated. In this episode Michael and Chris talk honestly about these realities and they share a couple ideas of how to build trust by giving rich, real-time feedback.Related blog post: Let's Radically Rethink Year-End Reviews by UptickCourse mentioned in the podcast: "How to Give a Great Performance Review" by UptickAnd would you like to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Many managers feel boxed in by the review processes their company requires. In this episode Chris shares some ideas that will help you comply with your company's process while still giving your team members the kind of review that will build trust, increase productivity and take the pain out of what is often an awful experience for both team member and manager. Related blog post: How Managers Can Take the Dread Out of Year End Reviews by UptickReview prompts Chris mentioned in the podcast: Completion of High Value GoalsThis section relates to the projects assigned individually that add lasting value to the company as a whole. Write out each that you were assigned and describe the process you went through to achieve it, or what occurred that prevented completion. Productivity and Measurable ResultsShare about when you've been most productive and include when and why it's difficult to be productive. Also, share some specifics regarding what you've accomplished since the last review that may have been missed in the previous section. Impact on My TeamTeamwork is important in building a strong corporate culture. Describe the ways in which your work, your attitude, and your character have had a positive impact on your team over the last quarter. Virtues & ValuesReflect back and note specific virtues or values that you have lived out in your work, as well as where would you like to see personal growth. Some examples are virtues such as "patience" or "compassion", and values such as "innovation" or "excellence". Areas where I would like to growHopefully, we're all striving to improve ourselves personally and professionally. Share how you would like to continue or kick-start your growth in the coming quarter. Ways my manager can help meIt is important that you understand what is expected of you, and managers can clear obstacles out of your way to help you be more productive. A thoughtful, specific response will help your manager know how to support you well. Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

If you feel out of your depth when navigating conflict, consider turning to the experts: hostage negotiators. These professionals have mastered the art of defusing conflict when it's literally life-or-death. In this episode Chris summarizes the topic and adds some insight as to how to use your one on ones to both mitigate conflict and deal with it as it happens.Related blog post: Conflict Management Skills Managers Can Learn From Hostage Negotiators by UptickBook referred to in this episode: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss  Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Performance reviews can suck, and one of the main reasons is that there hasn't been adequate preparation. As Chris shares in this episode, there are several things you can do that will make a performance review not only tolerable, but a great way to recognize the growth you've seen in your team member throughout the review cycle. This will help establish healthy relationships with your team members and build the great team you want to lead. Related blog post: How Managers Can Take the Dread Out of Year End Reviews by UptickWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Sometimes performance reviews seem void of any meaningful purpose. Why do we do them? Compliance? Professional development? Performance improvement? And are they supposed to serve the company, the team member of the manager? In this episode Chris suggests that "all of the above" is a reasonable answer and can bring new purpose to performance reviews.Book mentioned in the podcast: Atomic Habits by James ClearWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Rigid, "black and white" performance reviews are awful. Managers hate giving them, and team members are afraid of them. We've made them presentation instead of conversation, and we neglect to make the meeting a human experience. Chris shares some of his own failures while bringing to the conversation some ideas on how to make review a better experience for everyone.Related blog post: Let's Radically Rethink Year-end Reviews by UptickWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

For many of us, our experience with on-on-one meetings is less than stellar. Talking about the local sports teams, the weather, the weekend or  simply giving status updates feels like a waste of time for both managers and team members. In a business climate that is more competitive than ever, why should we spend more time in meetings? In this episode, Chris revisits his recent blog post that explores why one-on-ones may be the most important thing you can do to build great teams and keep your best people.Related blog post: Why one-on-ones? by UptickWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"And if your reviews are terrible, as they often are, check out our new course, "How to Give a Great Performance Review"You can follow Chris at @chriszaugg and Michael @jmichaelprobert--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Leaders are often overworked, and they can forget how their behavior can affect the morale of the team. When team members don't have a consistent workplace, they can become tentative, unproductive, confused and even a little scared. In this episode Chris flies solo and talks about 6 key elements to being a consistent leader and how if positively affects the team.Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Skip-level meetings can be fraught with land mines, and they can be scary to the team member. "How much should I share about myself? How much should I share about my manager? Or the company?" In this episode, Chris and Michael talk about how to honor the purpose of the meetings, how to make them relational and how to make sure both people have a dialogue that's mutually beneficial. Related blog post: What are Skip-Level Meetings and How Do You Make Them Worthwhile? by UptickQuestions for skip-level meetings that Michael mentioned: 15 Skip-Level Meeting Questions to Identify High Performers [Free Template] by Uptick Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Uptick is a small company, and when organizational changes happen they tend to affect people differently than when similar changes happen in larger organizations. Everyone knows each other well, and when a co-worker turns into a manager that can present some unique challenges. Michael and Chris are experiencing that real-time, and in this episode you'll hear more about how they're handling the process.Related blog post: Managing Change in the Workplace – How To and How Not To! by UptickRelated podcast mentioned in this episode: Authority is Earned, Not Bestowed by Uptick Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

All too often goals are set up at the beginning of a quarter, (or a year!), and the next time they're discussed is when it's time to set up new goals. That makes the goals meaningless, and can even become a distraction for the team. We have been on that treadmill, too, and while working on the new goals module in Uptick, Michael and Chris thought more about how to get started building meaningful goals. They discuss their journey in this episode.  Blog post mentioned: 5 questions to answer when creating meaningful goals by UptickWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

"Should I have to change my style for other people? Can't they accept that this is how I communicate?" Sure, they can. But if you want to influence people and have them understand what you're sharing with them, you'll probably need to understand something about how they take in certain styles of communication. In this episode Michael and Chris the importance of knowing the people you're talking with, and adjusting based on their needs – not yours.Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Does my team like me? Is there someone else here that could do a better job? How am I going to get all this done? These questions often pop into our heads when we're busy and a little stressed. Or a lot stressed. In this episode Michael and Chris discuss how focusing on the questions you CAN answer will help you remove stress instead of adding to it.Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Routines and habits are vitally important to making sure the important work gets done. But when those routines aren't evaluated, they can often become a time suck with little or no effectiveness. We'll tell ourselves it's our job, but is it?In this episode Michael and Chris discuss the importance of regularly evaluating your work so you aren't just "playing work", but actually moving the needle for your team.Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

As a manager and a leader, there are always issues coming up with other leaders that matter to your team. When should you let them into the process? At the very beginning? When a decision has been made?In this episode Michael and Chris discuss the importance of letting people into the the process as soon as you can, and how that helps get great feedback and build trust with your team.Blog mentioned in the podcast: How to Cultivate Transparency in a Zoom World by UptickWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

We tend to be drawn to people who are like us, but when hiring for a team, we need to find people who have gifts and abilities that compliment each other. That means looking for different types of personalities with different skills. But there is one important caveat – the things we care about and the way we relate to our teammates needs to be the consistent foundation of whatever we build on top of it. On that we need to have agreement.In this episode Michael and Chris talk through their current thoughts as they look to hire some new people for Uptick.Look for a future podcast mentioned in this episode: "Share what you can with who you can" by UptickWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

The truth is sometimes uncomfortable – whether it's about issues going on if your organization or the direct feedback you need to share with your team members. But people are smart, and they'll get a sense when you're keeping something from them, and it will inhibit the trust you seek to create. In this short episode Michael and Chris talk about how courageously sharing the truth, where it's feasible, is better than having them figure it out on their own.Related blog post: Managing Change in the Workplace – How To and How Not To! by Uptick Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Project deadlines are a fact of life in most businesses, and when facing missed deadlines managers have to understand that each person on their team may deal with it individually. This can make it difficult to keep morale high and the project moving forward. So how do we remain realistic and upbeat?In this episode Michael and Chris talk through a current deadline they're facing that faces this exact issue. Book mentioned in the podcast: Shape Up by BasecampWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

What would it mean if we changed the way we thought about our team's productivity? For many managers, we fixate on how to get more from our teams, but what if that started by giving more?In this episode Michael and Chris discuss how giving, not getting, it the key to building a successful team.Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Sometimes managers feel like allowing team member's to pursue their professional development will distract them from their primary responsibilities. But in today's competitive workplace, up and coming leaders want to grow in their careers now more than ever. If you want to keep your high performers, you have to find a way to balance this tension.In this episode Michael and Chris discuss how your team's success is highly influenced by your investment in professional development.Related blog post: "Creating a Professional Development Plan – Tips for Small Teams" by UptickLink mentioned in the podcast: "How Millennials Want to Work and Live" by GallupWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

When working together in an office, by simple proximity you were able to develop relationships with your team members. By watching how your manager treated other people, you could imagine how you would be treated. By watching people interact in the lunchroom, you began to understand their sense of humor, what was important to them, and you’d get a picture of how they were wired.In this episode Michael and Chris will give you some tips on how to cultivate transparency in this new remote, Zoom world. Related blog post: "How to Cultivate Transparency in a Zoom World" by UptickWant to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

When team members are faced with a decision between working on a goal or working on something they know they have to do as a part of their ongoing responsibilities, the urgent or necessary things crucial to the team's success, they usually often make the right decision. But in doing that, they can feel bad about not making progress on their long-term goals. In this episode Michael and Chris talk about that tension and how managers need to ensure their team members see the value in the work they're doing and the role they're filling. Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

You can't just show up with a title, a fancy business card and a corner office and expect your team to give you the authority you need to lead. You earn authority by working "with" your team, not "above" them.In this episode Michael and Chris talk about how to develop the kind of credibility with your team that will allow you to lead effectively.Here's the book we mention in the podcast: Credibility by Barry Posner and James KouzesRelated blog post: How to Cultivate Transparency in a Zoom World Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

Building trust with your team isn't a positional, "I'm the boss" thing, it's a relationship thing! To have a truly high-performing team, managers need to work on building trust as the foundation of a high-performing culture.In this episode, taken from our "Next Level 1:1s Course", Michael and Chris will give you some tips on how to build, or rebuild trust with your team.Want to learn more about how to have great 1:1's? Check out our "Next Level 1:1s Course"You can follow Michael @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.--Let's Talk Teams is a podcast by Uptick the one-on-one tool that helps managers and their team members change vague meetings into meaningful conversations.

From "Where's the coffee machine?" to "How will my performance be evaluated?", new team members have a lot of legitimate questions. The best place to address those questions is in a 1:1, but how do you get started? In this episode, taken from our "Next Level 1:1s Course", Michael and Chris will give you some tips on how to get rolling with your 1:1s with new team members.

In this episode Chris chats with Mitch Moeller, CEO of Corvida Medical. Mitch talks about his transition from being a professional engineer to being a leader, and how his leadership has changed as he moved from a large organization to a startup. Look for his comments regarding "habituation" at 15:45 – great stuff!

The remote work culture that has mushroomed during COVID-19 has raised the stress levels of almost everyone. In this episode, Chris lays out 4 tips to help make work life manageable in what feels like an unmanageable world.

Who owns our 1:1? What makes the time valuable for the manager, or the team member? In this short podcast, Michael goes solo and gives a few tips on how to improve the quality of 1:1s for both people in the meeting.

All too often managers and team members want to "get through" their 1:1s, and they simply read what's been written by the team member. Chris shares how what's REALLY important is trying to understand the meaning behind the words, and then applying insight and asking great questions when you meet together.

Trust is crucial to building a great team, but it's much harder to rebuild trust once it's been lost. In this episode, Chris shares some of his own difficult experiences, and points out some ideas managers can use to get their team back to enjoying a healthy environment.

All too often performance reviews are done because it's corporate policy, not because they are helpful. Michael and Chris discuss why a meaningful performance review are can be a powerful tool for both managers and team members, and how we can think creatively to turn a review on its head.

Do you know if you're being productive? And why do many of us feel less productive when working remotely? In this episode, Michael and Chris talk with Uptick Solutions Engineer Joel Slotman about how 1:1s helped sort it all out.

When 1:1s devolve into a meeting of status updates easily handled in an email, it's time for a change. In this shorter episode, Michael and Chris talk about how to save your 1:1s from the update rut.

Crisis is a word that has become all too familiar to all of us. Imagine joining a new team during a crisis. In this episode, Michael and Chris talk with Whitney Hathcock about how managers can help their new teammates adjust in the midst of a crisis.

Do you want to know why your team is struggling with their productivity? Michael and Chris talk about the importance of making sure your team understands why they're doing the work they do, and how it fits in in with the vision the team shares.

"Performance reviews." Just hearing that phrase probably makes you gag a little. That's how we felt about them to, but Michael and Chris talk about what they changed to make them more meaningful and actually helpful.

With most of the workforce working remotely, having effective 1:1s even more important. Michael, Britta and Chris discuss the challenges of our new reality and how to meet those challenges in the workplace.

Every company starts somewhere, and often it starts with a passionate belief. And that’s definitely true of Uptick. In this episode Michael and Chris share what we believe at Uptick, and how it shapes what we’re building.

How do you avoid some of the classic mistakes of leading a remote team? COVID-19 is making us all learn how to do it on the fly. In this episode Michael and Chris discuss how you can avoid these mistakes and take advantage of the opportunity.

In this episode, Britta, Michael and Chris talk about the "whys" of having a consistent 1:1 cadence, and how having them more frequently may help you develop a better relationship with your team members while ultimately saving time, too.

In this episode Chris chats with his friend Amy Baker, the principle and partner at Spry. Amy transparently shares the good and the bad of her leadership journey – from newbie in the creative world, to being a leader in a larger company typically dominated by men, and then onto life as an entrepreneur.

Building an effective 1:1 meeting is a collaborative effort. In this episode, Chris and Michael talk about ways to engage both managers and their teams in the process, so both get the benefit of a meaningful 1:1 that is both positive and constructive.

Michael Probert and Chris Zaugg sit down to talk about how to approach writing self-evaluations during performance reviews. Michael shares his experiences in the past and how vulnerability, self-reflection, and being specific are the key to a great self-eval.

Should employees be allowed to work off-site even if the long term policy of a company has been "8-5 at your desk"? If not, how can managers know work is being done? Is an off-site employee working, or manipulating the system? The Uptick team explores the issues of productivity, transparency and most importantly, trust where it relates to flexibility in the workplace.

Want to build a great team? Erik Johnson, the CFO of the Americas for Boardriders, Inc. talks about his journey to leadership, and how trust and truth are the key elements of building a great team.

In this episode we discuss "The Illusion of Understanding". "Does that make sense?" is often answered with a "Yep" even if there is very little understanding between two people, and it can submarine your best efforts to succeed in your business. Learn how to collaborate with your team to make sure expectations are crystal-clear.

In this episode we discuss the best ways to build trust when managing a new team. If you take a “there’s a new sheriff in town” position you might make some headway in the short term, but if you want to build a healthy team built for the long run, you need different strategies.