Your Role as a Team Lead

As a team lead in Sizemotion, you're responsible for managing your team members, running performance reviews, tracking team health, and fostering growth. You have more permissions than regular employees but may report to a department head or manager.

What You Can Do

  • Manage your team: View team roster, assign tasks, track projects
  • Run reviews: Create and manage performance reviews for direct reports
  • Conduct 1:1s: Schedule and track one-on-one meetings
  • View team analytics: See team health, radar scores, performance trends
  • Manage feedback: Give and receive review cycle feedback
  • Track absences: View team calendar and manage time-off requests
  • Development plans: Create growth plans for team members

What You Can't Do

  • Change organization-wide settings (requires Admin)
  • Manage teams outside your own
  • Access HR-only features (compensation data, terminations)
  • Create company-wide OKRs or initiatives

Getting Started

First Steps (Your First Week)

  1. Complete your profile
    • Go to your profile and add photo, bio, skills
    • Set your working hours and location
    • Add your role and career ladder level
  2. Review your team roster
    • Navigate to Teams > My Team
    • Review each team member's profile
    • Understand reporting relationships
    • Note any vacant positions or new hires
  3. Schedule initial 1:1s
    • Go to 1:1s > Schedule New
    • Create recurring meetings with each direct report
    • Set up shared agendas
    • Block time on your calendar
  4. Check upcoming reviews
    • Visit Performance > Reviews
    • See if any review cycles are active
    • Review past feedback on your team
  5. Understand team metrics
    • Go to Teams > Team Radar
    • Review recent radar scores
    • Identify team strengths and gaps

Key Workflows

Running a Performance Review

  1. When review cycle starts:
    • You'll receive notification about active review cycle
    • Navigate to Performance > Reviews
    • See list of direct reports to review
  2. Writing the review:
    • Click on employee name to start review
    • Use the AI Writing Assistant to draft feedback
    • Focus on specific examples and outcomes
    • Balance strengths with development areas
    • Rate across competencies (if applicable)
  3. Before submitting:
    • Review for bias (use AI Tone Analysis)
    • Ensure feedback is actionable
    • Save as draft if need more time
  4. After submitting:
    • Schedule review discussion meeting
    • Prepare talking points for conversation
    • Document outcomes and action items

Conducting Effective 1:1s

  1. Before the meeting:
    • Review shared agenda (both of you add items)
    • Check action items from last time
    • Look at recent work/projects
    • Block calendar and be present
  2. During the meeting:
    • Start with employee's agenda items
    • Listen more than talk (80/20 rule)
    • Take notes in Sizemotion
    • Ask open-ended questions
    • End with clear action items
  3. After the meeting:
    • Clean up notes and share (if requested)
    • Mark action items with due dates
    • Follow through on commitments

Managing Team Health (Team Radar)

  1. Sending a radar:
    • Go to Teams > Send Team Radar
    • Select your team
    • Choose frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)
    • Team members receive notification to complete
  2. Reviewing results:
    • Navigate to Teams > Team Radar
    • See average scores across dimensions
    • Identify low-scoring areas
    • Read anonymous comments
  3. Taking action:
    • Discuss results in team meeting
    • Create action plan for problem areas
    • Track improvement over time

Managing Absences & Time Off

  1. Viewing team calendar:
    • Go to Absences > Calendar
    • See who's out and when
    • Plan around team availability
  2. Approving requests:
    • Check Absences > Pending Requests
    • Review dates and coverage
    • Approve or discuss with employee
    • Calendar updates automatically

Team Management

Adding a New Team Member

  1. Go to Teams > My Team
  2. Click "Add Member"
  3. Search for existing user or create new
  4. If new hire:
    • Enter name and email
    • Assign role and start date
    • Set reporting relationship
    • Add to relevant teams
  5. They receive welcome email with account setup
  6. Schedule onboarding 1:1

Running Team Meetings

  • Standups: Track in Teams > Rituals
  • Sprint planning: Link to team OKRs
  • Retrospectives: Use Team Radar insights
  • All-hands: Share team wins and learnings

Career Development

  1. Review career ladder:
    • Go to Organization > Career Ladders
    • Understand levels and expectations
    • Discuss with team members in 1:1s
  2. Create development plans:
    • Identify skills gaps
    • Assign stretch projects
    • Track progress in 1:1s
    • Document in performance reviews
  3. Support promotions:
    • Write promotion cases in reviews
    • Provide evidence of next-level work
    • Participate in calibration

Tracking Team Performance

  • Team Dashboard: Overview of team health and metrics
  • OKR Progress: See team goals and completion status
  • Review History: Past feedback and performance trends
  • Radar Trends: Team health over time
  • Review Cycle Insights: Themes from peer feedback

Best Practices for Team Leads

⏰ Time Management

  • Block 1:1 time: Protect recurring meeting slots
  • Review prep: Allocate 30 min per review to write well
  • Weekly planning: Check Sizemotion for upcoming deadlines
  • Response time: Check notifications daily, respond within 24 hours

🗣️ Communication

  • Regular 1:1s: Weekly or bi-weekly, don't skip
  • Transparent feedback: Give ongoing feedback, not just in reviews
  • Team updates: Share context on decisions and changes
  • Celebrate wins: Recognize achievements publicly

📊 Using Data

  • Track trends: Use Team Radar to spot issues early
  • Evidence-based: Reference specific examples in reviews
  • Fair comparisons: Calibrate feedback across team members
  • OKR alignment: Connect individual work to team goals

👥 People Development

  • Know your people: Understand career aspirations
  • Create opportunities: Assign projects that build skills
  • Coach, don't fix: Ask questions, help them solve problems
  • Support growth: Advocate for your team's advancement

💡 Pro Tips

  • Use templates: Create your own review and 1:1 templates
  • AI assistance: Use AI Writing Assistant for first drafts
  • Batch similar work: Write all reviews in dedicated time blocks
  • Keep notes: Document key moments throughout the quarter
  • Learn from others: Ask HR or senior leads for feedback tips
  • Stay organized: Use Sizemotion notifications and calendar syncs

Common Scenarios

Scenario: New team member struggling

  1. Increase 1:1 frequency to weekly
  2. Review onboarding progress in Sizemotion
  3. Check with team for feedback
  4. Create specific development plan
  5. Pair with mentor
  6. Track progress weekly

Scenario: Team morale is low

  1. Send Team Radar to identify issues
  2. Review radar results for patterns
  3. Have individual 1:1s to dig deeper
  4. Hold team retrospective
  5. Create action plan with team input
  6. Follow up in 2-4 weeks

Scenario: Performance issue with team member

  1. Document specific examples
  2. Have direct conversation in 1:1
  3. Create improvement plan with clear goals
  4. Set check-in schedule (weekly)
  5. Escalate to HR if no improvement
  6. Track all conversations in Sizemotion

Scenario: Employee wants promotion

  1. Review career ladder for next level
  2. Assess current performance against criteria
  3. Identify gaps and create development plan
  4. Give stretch assignments to build skills
  5. Document evidence of next-level work
  6. Submit promotion case during review cycle

Quick Reference

Daily Tasks

  • ✅ Check Sizemotion notifications
  • ✅ Respond to time-off requests
  • ✅ Review team calendar for conflicts

Weekly Tasks

  • ✅ Conduct scheduled 1:1s
  • ✅ Add items to shared 1:1 agendas
  • ✅ Review team OKR progress
  • ✅ Send Team Radar (if weekly cadence)

Monthly Tasks

  • ✅ Review team radar trends
  • ✅ Check upcoming review cycles
  • ✅ Update team goals/projects
  • ✅ Review absence patterns

Quarterly Tasks

  • ✅ Complete performance reviews
  • ✅ Set/update team OKRs
  • ✅ Review career development plans
  • ✅ Conduct skip-level meetings (your reports' reports)

Need Help?

Next Steps