Let's Talk Teams: Recent Episodes
Uptick
We couldn’t find the podcast on building great teams so we made our own to document and share what we're learning along the way. Let’s Talk Teams is a weekly show where we talk about leading, building, and contributing to great teams at work. Some episodes are a peek behind the curtain at the conversations we’re having at Uptick as our teams grow and adapt. Others will be interviews with managers or discussions about a recent blog post.
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) 612-8441
Follow 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 Uptick
Post mentioned in the podcast: "Why One-on-Ones" by Uptick
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'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 Uptick
Course mentioned in the podcast: "Next Level One-on-Ones" by Uptick
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.
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 Uptick
Course mentioned in the podcast: "How to Give a Great Performance Review" by Uptick
And 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 Uptick
Review prompts Chris mentioned in the podcast:
- Completion of High Value Goals
- This 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 Results
- Share 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 Team
- Teamwork 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 & Values
- Reflect 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 grow
- Hopefully, 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 me
- It 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 Uptick
Book 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 Uptick
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.
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 Clear
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.
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 Uptick
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.
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 Uptick
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.
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 Uptick
Questions 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 Uptick
Related 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 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.
"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 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.
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 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.
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 Basecamp
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.
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 Uptick
Link mentioned in the podcast: "How Millennials Want to Work and Live" by Gallup
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.
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 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.
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 Kouzes
Related 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.
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.
How do you lead differently based on your team's talent, the size of your company and your experience?
In this episode, Mitch Moeller, CEO of Corvida Medical, talks with Chris about his leadership journey and how he has had to change his style based on the uniqueness of the companies he's led.
For a full transcript, go to https://uptickapp.com/podcast
You can follow 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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Foggy brain? Check. Anxiety? Check. Difficulty staying on task? Check. COVID-19 has put most of us in situations we were unprepared to handle. In this episode, Chris gives 4 tips that should help you both retain your sanity and encourage productivity for you and your teammates.
Related blog post: How These 5 Companies Are Prioritizing Employee Health in the Era of COVID-19 by Uptick
You can follow Chris on Twitter at @chriszaugg.
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
"1:1s are a powerful tool to help improve trust, productivity, clarity, happiness..." We've all heard that, but is it true? Well, it CAN be true as long as both the manager and the team member are engaged in making it a meaningful meeting. A lot of people we chat with are unhappy with the current state of their 1:1s, so in this episode Michael shares some foundational tips that will help you start or reboot your 1:1s.
Michael references some ways to reframe your 1:1s. Here are some conversation starters:
“I want this meeting to be a space where you’re able to bring up whatever is on your mind. Especially any blockers or questions that might be in your way. But I also want to be able to take the conversation to a higher level than just the updates. You’ll have ideas and inspiration as you’re talking with our customers and I’d love to hear those. I want to keep investing in your growth, but you’ll have better ideas of what those areas might be.
I want to make sure that these chats are meaningful for you. So now that we’ve been having 1:1s for a while, what would make this time really useful for you? Or what would make this a meeting that you want to show up for?”
Example topics you can cover:
- Professional development. Where would you like to grow/develop? What skills are you lacking that you'd like to have?
- Remote work. What's working? What could be improved? Do you have all the tools you need to be successful?
- Team dynamics. Is our team healthy? How is our communication? Do you feel the freedom to speak your mind?
- Productivity. Are there any obstacles to your productivity that I can help remove? When do you feel the most productive?
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Related resources:
- Guide: How to improve your 1:1 meetings by Uptick
- Blog post: 5 one-on-one templates for effective managers by Uptick
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @jmichaelprobert
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Asking your team members to fill out 1:1s is great, but all too often the "discussion" digresses into a simple reading of the words written by the team member. In this episode, Chris talks about the importance of getting past the words and into the actual meaning behind them. It's in that meaning that both managers and team members find fulfillment in the relationship, which fuels better work and a more vibrant culture.
Related podcast: 4 Strategies to Have More Effective One on One Meetings by Uptick
You can follow Chris on Twitter at @chriszaugg.
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
While it often takes a great deal of time to develop trust with people, it can, sadly, be lost very quickly. So what do you do when your team has lost trust in you as a manager? How do you get back to where you were? In this episode, Chris flies solo and shares some of his own experiences (and failures!), and how he handled rebuilding the foundation of any good relationship - trust.
Related podcast: How trust and truth build a great team with Erik Johnson
You can follow Chris on Twitter at @chriszaugg.
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Are reviews simply a necessary evil? Can they be made easier? SHOULD they be made easier? Michael and Chris talk about how a thoughtful, meaningful performance review can be an opportunity for both a manager and their team member to grow professionally and personally, and how we can think creatively about how to connect with our teams. It's not the easiest path, but the investment in time and effort pays off in the long run.
Related podcast: How we're taking the dread out of performance reviews.
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Our perception of productivity is often skewed by being in the office, sitting at a desk and going heads down. But is that the true measure of productivity? Of course not. In this episode, Michael and Chris are joined by Uptick Solutions Engineer Joel Slotman, who found that completing his 1:1s helped him get a true sense of how he was doing in the remote workplace, and it was better than he thought!
Book link Michael mentioned: Atomic Habits by James Clear
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Boring, "here is my report" 1:1s are typically dreaded by team members and managers alike. Leave status updates to email, Slack and your Microsoft Teams chat. In this episode, Michael and Chris talk about building new habits and how to save your 1:1s tomake them meaningful, rich and a meeting people actually want to join.
Related blog: The Update, The Vent, and The Disaster by Rands in Repose
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Joining a new team is stressful enough. But joining a new team in the midst of a crisis, personal or professional, can be daunting. In this episode Michael and Chris are joined by Whitney Hathcock, who recently joined the Uptick team while going through the effects of a tornado in her hometown and the COVID-19 pandemic. She shares some relevant insights that will help managers know how to help the folks they're hiring experience a less stressful transition.
Related blog: What Managers Owe Our Teams During Coronavirus by Chris Zaugg
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Without a clear answer to the questions "why are we doing this", and "how does why I am doing contribute to the vision my manager has", team members will flounder, lose motivation and experience decreased productivity. In this episode, Michael and Chris talk about how productivity is influenced heavily by the team's understanding of the "big picture".
Related blog: How to Level Up Your Team’s Productivity in 2020 by Michael Probert
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Should you have annual, or quarterly reviews? Should they be a time for constructive feedback or congratulations? Michael and Chris talk about how we at Uptick came to make performance reviews helpful, meaningful and productive. And way less spooky!
Related blog: How to write a self-evaluation that will impress your boss by Michael Probert
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
COVID-19 has put almost every business in a situation where their teams are working remotely. And now that several states have extended "shelter in place" rules, it looks like we in this for the long haul. What does it mean for our productivity? Our communication? Our team culture?
In this episode, Britta, Michael and Chris talk about how the Uptick team has been handling the remote workplace, and they share their tips on how both managers and their teams can work together to make it work.
Related podcast: Working Remote – Pitfalls and Opportunities by Uptick
Related blog: A One-on-One Template For Switching Your Team to Remote Work by Michael Probert
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @jmichaelprobert and Chris at @chriszaugg.
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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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Show notes:
In 2009 Simon Sinek electrified the business community with his "Golden Circle" illustration during a TED talk. He proposed that people were more motivated by the values and the "why" of the companies they patronized than they were by the "what".
We're often asked how and why we got started building Uptick. If you've done any reading on our website you probably know some of the story, but the real story of Uptick starts with how we think about people and how we think about work.
Many of us at the company were already aligned with these values before Uptick was even an idea. We talked about the kind of company culture we wanted to work in, how we wanted to be treated, how we desired to treat others, and how we wanted to grow not only professionally, but personally. We talked about some of the contributions we would like to make in our neighborhoods, our communities, and in the world’s workplace. The thought of a small company in Bloomington, Minnesota making a worldwide impact may have seemed audacious, but our passion drove us to believe it was worth trying!
Here are our "We Believe" statements:
- We believe that all people are inherently valuable and are therefore imbued with dignity and purpose.
- We believe that every person is completely unique, and that the gifts and abilities they bring to work should be acknowledged and given room to blossom.
- We believe that all people are created to work, and no matter where or how they live that out, working with energy, excellence and passion is part of living out our purpose
- We believe that the hours spent at work should generally be happy, focused, affirming and energizing.
- We believe that collaboration, not authority, is the best way to characterize a growing, productive and healthy team.
- We believe a manager’s chief duty is to support and encourage their team.
- We believe that great management makes for great companies, and that employees thrive where managers thrive.
- We believe that employees deserve to understand the clear expectations of their managers.
- We believe that employees and managers alike should be challenged and given the opportunity to grow.
We'd love to hear about your "we believes"! Feel free to reach out to us on Twitter. Michael is @jmichaelprobert and Chris is @chriszaugg
Related blog post: https://uptickapp.com/blog
Podcast link: https://uptickapp.com/podcast
And if you're interested in trying Uptick for free, go to https://my.uptickapp.com/signup
The last month has forced unprecedented change on the whole world, and COVID-19 has made working away from the office a necessity for most people. But many managers have no experience with it. What should we do?
In this episode, Michael and Chris talk about their experiences with remote work, both as a manager and a team member. Chris, who worked remotely from his team and his boss for almost 2 decades, talks about some of his failures and a few successes. Michael shares some ideas to make it work in 2020.
Blog post mentioned: 3 Big Challenges in Managing Remote Employees (And How I Solved Them) by Chris Zaugg
Related podcast: How often should you have 1:1s? by Uptick
We'd love to hear more from you about what you're learning! Hit us up on Twitter. Michael can be found @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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Over the past several months, we have been asked dozens of times about how often you should have 1:1s with your team.
In this episode, Britta, Michael and Chris talk about how interacting with managers has given us an opinion on the frequency of these meetings.
Blog post mentioned: How Managers Can Get Better Results by Being Better Communicators by Michael Probert (referencing "the illusion of agreement")
Related podcast: Clarifying Expectations Before It’s a Problem by Uptick
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
All leaders start somewhere, and Amy Baker from Spry shares her journey with Chris – from being an art major newbie in the corporate world to moving into leadership. Her transparency about her rocky beginnings give us a great picture of how we can all grow as leaders.
For a full transcript, go to https://uptickapp.com/podcast
You can follow Chris on Twitter 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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
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.
Blog post mentioned: Build your one-on-one meeting agenda with these 4 steps by Chris Zaugg
For a full transcript, go to https://uptickapp.com/podcast
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
Hosts: Michael Probert and Chris Zaugg
Want to learn more about Uptick? Check out how you can start your free early access subscription here. And if you have any feedback for us, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at hello@uptickapp.com.
Self evaluations are a such wild-cards during the performance review process. Every manager will want something different. Some will care a lot some won't care at all.
In this episode, Michael shares his tips for writing a well-rounded self-evaluation that isn't a recital of amazing feats and run-on sentences that aren't actually communicating anything.
Blog post mentioned: How to write a self-evaluation that will impress your boss by Michael Probert
For a full transcript, go to https://uptickapp.com/podcast
You can follow Michael on Twitter at @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.
Give Uptick a try for free: Uptickapp.com
So you have a new team, and you want to establish your relationship with them, but where's the best place to start? Chris and Michael talk about some different strategies that might work in your context.
Hosts: Michael Probert, Chris Zaugg
Want to learn more about Uptick? Check out how you can start your free early access subscription here. And if you have any feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you! Email us at hello@uptickapp.com.
Building great teams takes work, and a lot of the work is about making sure everyone on the team is on the same page. In other words, let's get rid of the ego that says "I've got this" and ask the questions that will get the job done.. Chris and Michael talk about ways to make sure teams are crystal clear about their expectations, and that both employees and managers know what they're being held accountable to.
Hosts: Michael Probert, Chris Zaugg
Want to learn more about Uptick? Check out how you can start your free early access subscription here. And if you have any feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you! Email us at hello@uptickapp.com.
Chris, Michael and Matt from the Uptick team talk about trends in organizational flexibility, and how both managers and their teams can communicate in order to serve the needs of modern teams.
Hosts: Michael Probert, Matt Wenell and Chris Zaugg
Want to learn more about Uptick? Check out how you can start your free early access subscription here. And if you have any feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you! Email us at hello@uptickapp.com.
Erik talks about how he builds strong teams by nurturing a culture that includes trust AND truth. Erik also chats about the modern challenges of working with distributed teams in different cultures.
Host: Chris Zaugg
Guest: Erik Johnson
Want to learn more about Uptick? Check out how you can start your free early access subscription here. And if you have any feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you! Email us at hello@uptickapp.com.