The Professional Notebook: Your Notebook Helps Your Staff
So far I have shared how keeping a notebook helps each of you/each of us. I cannot stress enough how keeping a well written, dated, detailed notebook helps you serve your staff. (You know, if that interests you)
Annual Staff Evaluations
Regular Meetings/Touch bases
Growing their skill set
Serving them/Follow through
Annual Staff Evaluations;
I am going on record right here and right now……take the evaluations you write for your staff seriously. Give it serious time, thought, effort, recollection and preparedness. They deserve this and the integrity of your leadership depends on it.
I know that there is a lot on your plate, my plate, everyone’s plate. If you do not take the time to create a valuable, meaningful document to reflect the last year of your direct reports professional life and work then you suck. I know that is harsh, but this is my blog and I firmly stand behind that statement. If you cannot see this need from their perspective, allow me to offer this; If you do not take the time to create a valuable, meaningful document to reflect the last year of your direct reports professional life and work then you are going on record as being a poor leader. In addition, if you have a staff member who transfers out of your department, then your writing will be a reflection of you and them. You because of what you document (or didn’t document) and them because they have provided the evidence. Either is your choice.
Regular Meetings/Touch Bases
Keep track. Document the conversations. Don’t cancel them unless the gift of time is better than just the busyness of keeping everyone’s calendars packed. This is a great place to document what you expect and what you’ve communicated. I used to work with Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Clinicians. We were going through a state audit and one of the reviewers said that “a good chart should read like a chapter book, I should see the story unfold as I read through the notes”. The same is true for your touch base notes. Not just for keeping track of the good. Sometimes I need to review my notes to see that someone is definitely struggling. Having regular meetings with good documentation helps with providing evidence based discussions.
Growing their skill set
I believe very passionately that it is my job to create, mentor, teach and prepare my replacement. If you don’t, then I am not sure why you’re even reading this section based on the subtitle alone. I personally call this “lead to leave”. I don’t want to be defined by the title I have. I want to leave any job I get with stronger people staying than what I found when I first got there. And if I win the lottery, retire or anything else we all say, I want to lead teams so that when I am out, operations continue to run smoothly and someone is ready to step into the role.
Serving Them/Follow Through
Do not read this section if you do not believe that your job is to serve those “under” you. Continue if you understand and can handle the conversation that you serve the team that answers to you.
We have to follow through with what our team needs. Sometimes it is easy; you’re able to walk around and take care of getting supplies for someone who is required to stay at a desk. Or maybe it is just showing up and being there for a team who is trying to get work done and there is an obstacle, remove the obstacle. And tell the team what is going on. So what we are busy, not only is it important to tell people, but it is important to lay the ground work that they believe you will tell them information as you know it.
Work Hard & Be Nice to People