Are You Checking in with Your Team?

We hear a lot about team work and company culture and how it can make or break an organization’s bottom line. Entire teams need to be working together to help reach goals and make the company better, right?

Sounds like nirvana, but how do you go about doing that – especially if you’re an emerging leader?

Ask for feedback.

Now before you freak out and tell me why you aren’t good at talking about this, take a breath and remember it’s not about you.

Feedback is crucial from those that are in the trenches every day because they see what’s going on first hand. They can tell you what’s working and what’s not.

That’s vital information, don’t you think?

Instead of thinking about your own insecurities, I invite you to look at gathering feedback from a different angle.

What if your employees are fearful of giving feedback? What if they don’t feel the company culture supports it?

That’s where you can make a huge difference.

Create the space for safe, honest conversation without fear of punishment. Instead of using the annual company survey as the only time their input is requested, start scheduling check-ins with them on a regular basis. Not only does this build a stronger relationship with the team, it also allows faster course corrections when needed.

Involving employees in these discussions will also make them more engaged, because they’ll feel more involved in the decision-making process.

How to do it successfully?

It’s not just what you say, but how you say it. We’ve all heard this phrase before. Here are a couple of tips so you can ask successful questions:

1. Listen – This means you really need to be present in the room so turn off your cell phone and anything else that makes a noise. Lean in, really hear what the person is saying. So often we’re preoccupied with crafting our next response that we miss the point being made. Pause. Let the space be. That just may be the permission the employee needs to share on a deeper level.
2. Follow up regularly – Not only does this show consistency in your actions (which brings credibility to you and the role you have) it allows those that aren’t quite ready to share the opportunity to do so at a later date. The more you ask the more the team will ponder the issues in their daily workload.
3. Be authentic – Get curious. Ask questions from a place of genuine curiosity and desire to know the answer. As a leader, you’re always looking for ways to improve from a personal and professional development perspective. Embrace a growth mindset.

Now that you know how important checking in can be, how do you figure out what to ask and how often?

No worries, friend – I’ve got you covered on that.

Jacob Shriar, Director of Content at Officevibe, believes there are essential questions you should ask your team on a monthly basis:

1. What’s one thing you did this month that you’re most proud of?

How often do you pause to pat yourself on the back? Yep, I thought so. Employees are no different. Creating the opportunity for them to let you know what they consider important along with shining a light on their own progress helps create a sense of pride in the employee. Pride = Increased Motivation.

2. If you were the CEO, what’s one thing you would do differently?

This speaks directly to the notion that as a leader, you want your team to have a sense of ownership in the company; to care about what happens on a day-to-day basis. It opens the door to some powerful sharing of ideas.

3. How can I be a better leader?

Remember this is about the employee, not you, so don’t be afraid to ask this question. As a leader, you’re interested in personal and professional development. What better way to find out where you can improve than by asking this question.

4. What’s your biggest challenge right now?

This is where you get to put your coaching hat on and guide the employee. We all have challenges at work. How powerful would it be for the employee to know you’re there when he/she needs to discuss an issue – not to fix, but to guide to its resolution. Helping an employee find the answer is very empowering.

5. What can we do to make you more successful?

Shriar says personal growth is the biggest driver of employee engagement and asking employees every month how you can make them better is a great way to make sure employees are always improving and becoming more productive.

6. What’s one thing we should do to improve our product/service?

Due to frequent changes in the marketplace, asking this question on a regular basis will help your team stay on top of current trends while promoting innovative thinking by team members.

7. Are there any projects you’d really like to work on if you were given the opportunity?

Tapping into an employee’s passion is the key to high engagement and motivation. Asking this question throughout his/her career changes will ensure their level of enthusiasm is high as is their loyalty to the team and organization.

The bottom line is this: consistent, authentic communication with your team will produce positive results and create a culture of collaboration, cooperation and increase the level of energy substantially.

Try it and let me know the impact it’s having on your team.