The Secret to Business Success - Engage, Retain, and Grow Your People with Stop-Start-Continue 💡

Feedback is like fuel for your business—it helps teams run smoothly and achieve goals. ⛽ Using simple tools like Stop-Start-Continue, you make feedback clear and useful. Instead of guessing what's working or not working, you ask your team directly. Think about feedback as the map guiding your business strategy; without it, your team might get lost, making wrong turns or wasting energy on unnecessary tasks. When your team gives and receives feedback regularly, they feel more connected, valued, and clear about their roles, boosting employee accountability and overall job satisfaction. 

 

Let's imagine your business is a car. 🚗 Feedback isn't just about fixing problems; it's about finding ways to make the whole car run better. For example, your team might notice meetings often take longer than planned, making people feel bored or frustrated. Using the Stop-Start-Continue method helps you quickly see these issues and find solutions. Perhaps the team suggests shorter meetings with clear agendas or specific roles for each person. By starting these new ideas, your business execution improves because everyone feels heard, involved, and clear about their role. 

 

Another great part of using this feedback approach regularly is how it strengthens your team. Employees become more accountable because they see their ideas leading to real changes. This makes them feel valued, improving team building and boosting morale. Over time, these regular feedback loops become a natural part of your workplace culture, making your business stronger and helping everyone clearly understand their part in achieving company goals. 

 

Remember, continuous feedback isn't about pointing fingers; it's about working together to build a stronger, happier workplace. Small changes based on regular, clear feedback can lead to big improvements in business execution, employee satisfaction, and overall success. Here's how it works: 

 

• STOP: Talk about things your team should stop doing because they're wasting time or not helping the business. 

 

• START: Suggest new ideas to help your team work better, like better ways of running meetings or improving communication. 

 

• CONTINUE: Recognize and keep doing the things that are already working well. 

 

Think about a common issue like meetings that run too long or don't have a clear purpose. Using Stop-Start-Continue, your team might quickly find out what's going wrong and make changes immediately. For example, if employees mention meetings being too long or unclear, your team could decide to make shorter, clearer agendas. These small changes can save time, reduce frustration, and boost overall performance. 

 

 

 

Have you ever wondered if your employees feel happy in their roles or what could help them do their job better? 🤔 Regular check-ins, sometimes called Retention Interviews or Thrive Conversations, help leaders understand what their employees need. These conversations aren't just about stopping people from leaving—they're about making sure everyone feels valued, engaged, and excited about their future in your business. 

 

Retention is crucial because losing a great employee doesn’t just mean hiring someone new—it means losing valuable experience, knowledge, and team morale. 🚀  

High employee turnover can slow down progress, increase training costs, and make it harder to build a strong, motivated workforce. By regularly checking in with your team, you show them that their opinions matter and that you’re invested in their success. When employees feel heard and supported, they are far more likely to stay committed to their roles and contribute their best work. 

 

Having these conversations is powerful because they create an open and honest space for employees to share their thoughts. Many employees won’t voice concerns unless given a structured opportunity to do so. Regular check-ins allow you to catch problems early, before they lead to frustration or disengagement. They also help you identify growth opportunities, ensuring that employees see a future for themselves in your business rather than looking elsewhere for career advancement. Taking the time to listen and act on feedback strengthens trust, improves employee accountability, and ultimately leads to a more engaged, high-performing team. 

During these talks, ask questions like: 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a tool called the Balance Wheel can also help employees talk about different parts of their lives, not just their work. Businesses that have used these conversations found out important things, like their employees wanting clearer job paths or more flexibility. Acting on these suggestions made a big difference in how employees felt, helping the company keep great people longer. 

 

 

 

Lots of businesses have values written on their walls or websites. But what matters most is whether those values actually show up in everyday actions. It's easy to say that your company values honesty, teamwork, or respect, but do your employees consistently act in ways that support those values? 

If your business wants to truly live its values, it’s essential to focus on behaviours—not just words. This is why the Stop-Start-Continue method is so powerful; it helps teams reflect on what they are actually doing that either supports or goes against company values. 

 

If behaviours drive values, then checking in regularly on how your team is acting is a must. Having a values-focused discussion allows employees to recognize when they are making decisions that align with the company's mission and when they might be straying from it. It also encourages accountability, ensuring that values aren't just theoretical but are actively guiding everyday decisions. For example, if teamwork is a core value, does your team consistently collaborate, or are there silos forming between departments? If integrity is important, do employees feel comfortable speaking up when something isn't right? 

 

Combining values checks with your Stop-Start-Continue discussions makes these conversations more actionable. Instead of just saying, "We value transparency," ask: What behaviours are helping us be more transparent? What actions might be making us less transparent? And what can we introduce to improve honesty in our work? By framing values as behaviours, employees start seeing their own role in building a strong company culture. 

 

By regularly reviewing values-based behaviours, teams can ensure that their actions truly match their company’s values. 💡 This helps create a culture where employees don’t just know the values—they live them. Over time, this leads to stronger team engagement, better decision-making, and a company culture that stands out from the competition. 

 

Here are a few simple questions you can regularly ask: 

 

 

 

 

By having these conversations often, employees feel more connected and motivated, knowing their work aligns with something meaningful. To make these meetings even more powerful, leaders should invite feedback on their own demonstration of the behaviours that drive the company's values. This turns the discussion into a two-way learning experience, allowing employees to share how they perceive leadership actions and whether they feel those actions truly align with the business’s mission. 

 

When employees have the chance to evaluate leadership behaviours, it creates an environment of trust and openness. This feedback loop helps leaders identify areas where they may need to improve and reinforces a culture of continuous improvement. It also encourages employees to take ownership of the values themselves, seeing them as an active part of their daily work rather than just words on a wall. By making this part of the conversation, you show that values aren’t just for employees—they apply to everyone, from the top down. 

 

 

To make sure these ideas don't become just another task on your list, try fitting them into meetings you already have: 

 

• Quarterly Planning Meetings: Use Stop-Start-Continue conversations to plan clearly for the next few months. 

 

• Weekly Meetings: Have quick check-ins to see how things are going, addressing small issues right away. 

 

• Quarterly or Every Six Months: Plan longer conversations (offsite if possible) to deeply discuss employees' happiness and goals. 

Doing this regularly helps your team feel heard and valued, building trust and helping your business run better overall. ✅