Make Your One-on-Ones Transformational

By: Kim Ratcliff

Now that I’ve had a chance to catch my breath after attending AASPA in October, I’ve been reflecting back on what I learned. 

Here’s the bottom line: So many school districts are innovating in the space of people experience for educators, from kindergarten teachers to bus drivers and school principals. 

What stood out most to me was a session hosted by Recruiting and Retention Specialist Chelsea Clark from Auburn-Washburn Unified School District 437. She shared this 6,100-student Kansas district’s process for gathering insights from employees through one-on-one interviews with educators (teachers and paraprofessionals) that led to the creation of personas to guide HR and manager one-on-ones and overall leadership moving forward.

Instead of focusing on transactional HR touchpoints, her session highlighted the value of transformational moments with employees—in conversations driven by intention and empathy. 

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