Tips on getting to know your employees

Getting to know your employees is one of the best ways to get off on the right foot as a manager. Every person who works under you comes with their own individual personality, aspirations and strengths. The biggest advantage you can give yourself as a manager is to have interactions with all of them, early on, and find out what these individual distinctions are as soon as possible. When it comes to getting to know your employees, there's a variety of strategies that can be used. Hosting one-on-one conversations or group icebreakers are probably the most popular two. 

One-on-one conversations
Holding one-on-one interviews with your employees allows you to immediately build a rapport with them in an intimate setting. For some, individual exchanges behind closed doors makes them feel more comfortable and willing to share more about themselves than they would be in a large group setting. Being able to give an employee all of your focus at one time also gives you a chance to take more detailed notes of what comes out of the conversation so you can refer to observations again later. 

Here's a list of questions you can ask employees in one-on-one conversations:

• Do you have anything you want to achieve this year?
• What goals do you have in mind for your role?
• What have you done to get on the right track to achieve these goals? Are there any obstacles you're concerned about? 
• How can I help you achieve these goals?
• How are you managing the workload?
• Do you prefer to work individually or on a team?
• What goals do you have in mind for your role?
• What would you say is the biggest assignment you've dealt with recently? 
• What would help you do better at completing your job?
• Are there any particulars about your work habits you'd like to share?

Be sure that you're willing to ask appropriate follow-up questions to get as much useful information as possible. If you want to throw in some nonwork related questions, feel free to ask about what they like to do in their free time. 

Group icebreakers
For every employee who's willing to share more in an intimate, one-on-one setting, there's at least one that would benefit from a friendly, group environment where they don't feel the attention is always on them. Icebreakers are used so often in group settings because they tend to work well. This will allow for both you to get closer with the team and for them to get closer with each other – which will lead to a healthier work environment. Icebreakers also give present the opportunity to get everyone out of the office to relax and become more comfortable than they would in the workplace. 

Here's a list of icebreakers your employees can participate in to help everyone get to know one another better:

• Lost on an Island: Go around the room and ask everyone what they would take with them if they were stuck on a deserted island. The fewer items you allow them to bring, the more creative they're forced to be. The small handful of items someone would take with them says a lot about what they value and cherish the most. 
• Two truths and a lie: This icebreaker calls for participants to list three facts about themselves – two of them true, one of them a lie. It's then up to the rest of the group to figure out which of the three is a lie. This game allows for the group to get to learn more about each other than they would in occasional water cooler conversations. 
• Ten things in common: This game requires people to pair off and ask each other questions until they find ten things that have in common. Strong relationships are often built off of common experiences. This activity could lead to some healthy work relationships.