Years ago at a seminar, I learned this simple, yet effective way to find out how things are really going at your company from your people’s point of view. It’s one of the best tools I’ve ever used in relating with team members. It helps you keep in better touch with your employees, finding out where their morale stands and what they’re learning, and provides you with valuable input on how we can all get better.
It’s called the 10-15 Report, and it goes like this.
Frequency:
I do this once a month at the most and quarterly at the least, with all key people, including Crew leaders, Supervisors, Business Developers, Office People and Managers.
For new key employees and interns I do it once a week for the first 90 days.
How it works:
Just like the name of the report implies, it should take employees no more than 10 minutes to fill out and then only about 15 minutes to review with their direct-report supervisor. Remember, the point of this is to gauge your employees’ responses and to help prevent any minor issues from becoming major ones.
The Report includes 3 simple questions and asks for the following input:
My morale this week is _____________________________________
The most important thing I have learned this (week, month or quarter) is
________________________________________________________
I would like to make this recommendation or suggestion to the company: ________________________________________________________
Take 15 minutes of uninterrupted time to sit down and review the feedback. Decide on some action steps, if any are needed, to help resolve or address issues brought up, and set a time for the next report/review. Watch the magic begin.
The 10-15 Report is a fantastic people tool. I guarantee you’ll find that by LISTENING to your employees and learning where they stand, you’ll open the door to better communication.
You’ll also discover a great source of new ideas on how your organization can improve!!
