By: Jo Hall (FSSA™ CFP®DipFP BApplEcon), Managing Director, Qwrk Outsourcing
The success of outsourcing partnerships is not solely dependent on selecting the right service provider.
Building a strong relationship with your outsourced team members is crucial for long-term success.
One way that I deem effective in nurturing these relationships is through the “Start, Stop, Keep” conversation.
“Start, Stop, Keep” conversation is a straightforward yet powerful way for providing feedback and fostering improvement with your outsourced team members. It consists of three key components:
✔️ START: Identifying actions or behaviors that should be initiated to enhance performance.
✔️ STOP: Recognizing actions or behaviors that are hindering performance, causing problems, or not adding value and should be discontinued.
✔️ KEEP: Highlighting actions or behaviors that should be maintained because they are contributing positively to performance.
The “Start, Stop, Keep” conversation offers several advantages in relationship building with outsourced team members:
- Process Improvement: It facilitates the identification of actions that can be initiated to improve the collaboration process.
- Resource Optimization: Recognizing actions that should be stopped can help optimize resource allocation.
- Adaptability: The model can be customized to meet specific organizational needs, making it highly versatile.
It is generally recommended to provide this feedback relatively frequently, such as quarterly or annually to support continuous improvement.
Building a solid foundation in your relationship with an outsourced team member can greatly benefit from doing the “Start, Stop, Keep” conversation.
By using this effectively, you can create a more collaborative, productive, and positive working environment, ultimately leading to enhanced success in your business relationships with your outsourced team members.