Manager-Associate Guide

This guide is a tool designed to help you increase the productivity of each person you manage (referred to as
‘associate’). This process involves asking questions, analyzing and individually understanding a person’s
strengths, limitations, style, needs and aspirations.

There are some specific questions and while asking these, it is important to ask the questions as they are
written without interpreting the questions for the associate. Urge the associate to be candid and ensure they
answer what they think is right rather than what you want to hear.

There are four sections to the guide, follow them in sequence. An hour and half is required to cover all
questions in sufficient detail. If all questions cannot be covered in one meeting, cover a complete section in
one meeting. Ensure all sections are completed in quick succession, so that the essence of the conversation is
not lost. At the end of each section, there are questions for you, the manager to consider for analysis and
insight. Write down your thoughts for each associate immediately after the meeting is completed so that you
capture all nuances and every detail.

Use these inputs from time to time to discuss with your associate the various aspects at work. There are a
few questions provided for quarterly follow-up. Those will help you to keep track of things on a regular basis.

So, get going and manage your associates better.

Name of Manager:

Name of Associate:

Date of meeting:

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 Identifying Talent

1. What are your strengths? What do you best?

2. What are the positive words people who know you well would use to describe you?

3. What do you enjoy most in your current role?

4. What strengths do you use in your current role?

5. Do you have strengths that you think you could use more often?

Questions for the Manager to Consider:

• How clear is the associate about his or her strengths?

• What similarities are there between this associate’s perception of his or her strength and what you see?

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 • Have you seen this associate demonstrate these strengths in his or her current role?

• If yes, are there more ways he or she could use these strengths?

• If no, have you observed strengths this associate did not mention?

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 Setting Expectations

6. What do you believe you get paid to do?

7. What do you want to accomplish in the next month?

8. What do you want to accomplish in the next six months?

9. What do you think I expect of you this year?

10. What do you expect of me this year?

Questions for the Manager to Consider:

• How does this associate’s understanding of what he or she gets paid to do compare with what you think?

• How clear is this associate about what he or she wants to accomplish in the next month and in the next
six months? How realistic are these goals?

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 • How could you support this associate in reaching his or her goals?

• Does this associate accurately understand what you expect? Explain.

• Are this associate’s expectations of you clear and realistic? Explain.

• How can you help this associate measure the outcomes of these expectations?

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 Motivating

11. What do you find most satisfying about your work?

12. What about your work motivates you the most?

13. Tell me about the best recognition you have ever received? Why was it the best?

14. When you achieve your goals, how would you like to be recognized?

Questions for the Manager to Consider:

• How can you link this associate’s motivators and satisfiers to recognition?

• What strengths led to the achievement for which this associate received his or her best recognition ever?

• What steps can you take to ensure that this associate receives recognition that honors his or her
individual needs and expresses appreciation for his or her unique strengths?

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 Developing

15. Is there a particular skill you would like to acquire? If yes, what is the best way to acquire it?

16. Whom would you like to learn from and what would you like to learn from him or her?

17. What is the best way for us to measure your progress? How can we track your development?

18. How often do you think you and I should get together to discuss how things are going?

Questions for the Manager to Consider:

• How does the skill(s) mentioned relate to this associate’s strengths?

• How can you help this associate create opportunities to acquire the skills he or she has identified?

• Will you be able to meet with this associate as often as he or she would like? If not, how will work with
this associate to determine a realistic schedule?

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 • What can you do to help this associate learn from the people he or she mentioned?

• How do/could you define this associate’s progress through clear numbers and measurement?

• How can you help this associate feel continually successful without experiencing a promotion? How could
you create “levels” of achievement within his or her existing role?

• What actions will you take to enhance the productivity and engagement of this associate?

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 Quarterly Follow-up Questions (Quarter 2)

1. What went well in the last three months?

2. What could have been better in the last three months?

3. What is your main focus for the next three months?

4. What strengths, strategies will you use?

5. What two things can I do to help you?

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 Quarterly Follow-up Questions (Quarter 3)

1. What went well in the last three months?

2. What could have been better in the last three months?

3. What is your main focus for the next three months?

4. What strengths, strategies will you use?

5. What two things can I do to help you?

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 Quarterly Follow-up Questions (Quarter 4)

1. What went well in the last three months?

2. What could have been better in the last three months?

3. What is your main focus for the next three months?

4. What strengths, strategies will you use?

5. What two things can I do to help you?

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