Turning Meetings into Momentum: Using the ‘What’s Working’ Approach

Michael and his line manager noticed a familiar problem: their eight-weekly Performance and Development (P&D) conversations had started to feel like their weekly project updates, lots of detail, little reflection, and minimal focus on improvement. While weekly meetings were perfect for tracking tasks, the P&D conversations weren’t delivering the clarity and growth insight they wanted.

 

The Solution: Four Focused Questions
To address this, Michael and his manager adopted a structure inspired by the “What’s Working” grid. Their conversations now focus on four questions:

1. What’s gone well since our last catch-up?
2. What’s stuck?
3. What action can you take to move what’s stuck, and how can I support you?
4. What areas of focus or development are you working toward over the next 3–6 months?

This simple framework shifted the conversations from reporting on activity to exploring improvement and development opportunities. It encourages reflection, uncovers challenges, and keeps the dialogue action oriented.

 

Why It Works

• Clarity and Focus: The questions prevent the discussion from drifting into operational details.
• Deeper Insight: Conversations go beyond status updates to explore what could be done differently or better.
• Action-Oriented Outcomes: Each discussion ends with clear next steps, fostering accountability and progress.
• Sustained Development: Regularly revisiting developmental goals ensures ongoing growth and clarity on priorities.

 

Early Results
After three P&D conversations using this structure, Michael reports a significant difference:

“These conversations now give me clarity on my next steps and how to improve things.”

He leaves meetings with actionable insights, a clearer sense of priorities, and renewed focus on improvement, things that weekly calls simply didn’t provide.

 

Practical Tips for Teams

• Separate operational updates from development conversations.
• Ask open, action-focused questions that dig into successes, obstacles, and next steps.
• Document outcomes to maintain accountability and clarity.
• Review goals and challenges regularly to keep momentum going.

Michael’s experience shows that with a little structure; P&D conversations can move from routine reporting to meaningful dialogue that drives growth, or both the individual and the team.