Leading people isn’t the hard part.

Understanding them is.

Every leader I know is balancing a dozen priorities, and it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day. But if we lose sight of who our people really are — what they care about, what they’re struggling with — we lose the very thing that drives performance in the first place.

So how do you bridge that gap?

It starts with authentic conversations. The kind that help you truly connect with and understand your people.

Here are three that make the biggest difference:

The Goal Conversation

This one’s about direction.

Ask your people what they’re aiming for — not just this quarter, but in their career or life.

When you understand what matters most to them, you can help them connect their daily work to something bigger. That’s where purpose and accountability start to take root.

The Expectation Conversation

This one clears the air.

Ask what they expect from you as their leader, and tell them what you need from them in return.

You’ll be amazed how much frustration comes from things left unsaid. Clarity doesn’t just improve performance; it strengthens relationships.

The Energy Conversation

This one reveals where your people are thriving, and where they’re running on empty.

Ask what gives them energy and what drains it. When you can help them spend more time in the work that fuels them, you’ll see engagement, creativity, and results take off.

These conversations don’t require a big meeting or a fancy process. They just require time, honesty, and curiosity.

If you want a framework to make those conversations easier — something you can use in your next 1:1 — that’s exactly what The People Strategy Workbook was built for.

It’s a simple, free tool to help you connect, understand, and lead your people in a way that drives real results.

So start today. Start with one conversation, one connection, one person — and watch how everything begins to change.