Get the heart of issues with your employees

Hey Mama! This is Robin Camarote with your Working Mom Tip of the Day.

Meeting regularly with your employees one-on-one is an easy way to increase productivity and engagement. But when you hold the meetings but don't get to the core of the employee's questions or issues, it's a lose-lose situation. You're spending the time without getting any of the benefit. Thankfully, there's a simple question that opens the door for the employee to share more:

Are we talking about what's most important to you?

You can use it to get to the heart of the questions and issues on your employee's minds. Knowing the problem puts you in a better position to resolve them -- and improve the working environment.

Thanks for listening. You got this! For more, head over to my blog at robincamarote.com

Build self-awareness by looking back on last year

Hey Mama! This is Robin Camarote with your Working Mom Tip of the Day.

You're probably thinking about next year right about now. Questions such as "What do I want? Where should I go? What should I do?" are bouncing around in between work and to-do list items.

Our problem isn't the goals themselves. Instead the mistakes we continue to make are the optimistic assumptions about how we're going to be different in working towards these goals. If we don't change anything about ourselves -- how we prioritize, manage time, and say yes or no to distractions -- we shouldn't expect different results. Knowing where we got stuck before can help us get unstuck in the future.

Looking back at last year, ask yourself the following questions.

• What was harder than I thought it would be this year? Why?
• What accomplishments did I make that I wasn't expecting?
• What percent of my time this year was dedicated to day-to-day activities at work and home? How much time can I realistically devote to something new?
• If I take on something new, what else can I take off my plate?

The answers will help you identify patterns and habits that are holding you back. Address these before diving into this year's goals.

Thanks for listening. You got this! For more, head over to my blog at robincamarote.com