Ice Cube’s iconic 1993 hit “Check Yo’ Self” embodies some words of wisdom that managers can take with them in the workplace: To avoid “wreaking” your team, you need to “check” in with your team.
Okay, so that’s not word-for-word what he said, but the message is there.
As a leader, finding the right balance between knowing what’s going on with your team and being too authoritative can be difficult (for both you and your team). But check-ins don’t equate to micromanagement or boring meetings. If you’re equipped with the right check-in meeting questions, your discussions will improve team dynamics, help people be more productive, and decrease turnover. This blog will give you 87 questions to make that happen.
Check-ins are meetings between managers and direct reports that focus on progress made on projects and assigned tasks. Depending on the type of check-in, these meetings occur on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis.
Asking your teammates to share their experiences and insights about their job creates a powerful connection that builds a healthy workplace relationship. Here are 50 questions that’ll help guide your next check-in meeting.
Purpose: General check-in questions help get the conversation rolling. They allow team members to voice concerns that targeted questions may not provide the space for.
Purpose: These check-in questions help you gauge how work is progressing. They also quickly identify potential problems or upcoming roadblocks so you can reassess your plan and expectations.
Purpose: Ensuring work is progressing towards quarterly objectives and company OKRs is of utmost importance. That’s why goal-related check-in questions are useful; they ensure everyone understands the strategy and is still on track.
Purpose: Keeping employees engaged and making them feel valued is critical to achieving goals and growing the company. Knowing how each employee would like to develop professionally helps maintain a healthy team and reduce attrition rates.
Purpose: Just because some employees are more productive working from home doesn’t mean they should be left out of check-ins. You can still ask similar questions but adjust them to apply to their situation.
Purpose: Trust is the foundation of a healthy relationship. That means asking intimate questions that get you to know your teammates a little better. But remember, this doesn't mean inviting people to tell their deepest darkest secrets, but rather encouraging conversations that go beyond work progress and company life.
Purpose: Sometimes silly questions can help teams clear their minds and get in the headspace to fully engage in meetings. They also allow you to get to know the creative sides of different people. You might be surprised!
These lists are meant to help you understand the types of questions you should ask your team. You can tailor the check-in questions based on your roadmap, goals, and company culture. See what your team responds to best!
Great managers not only ask the right questions but also put in the work to encourage positive change. In doing so, you’re sure to help build a workplace culture that everyone wants to be a part of. Think about these do’s and when planning your check-in questions.
Stay open-minded: As a manager, you have pretty good eyes for what’s working and what’s not. But teammates offer a unique perspective on the systems you think you know. Remain unbiased and level-headed when receiving feedback, so your team feels comfortable coming to you with their troubles.
Create a safe space: Since check-ins are an opportunity to raise concerns, you need to create a safe space of openness and honesty where teammates feel comfortable talking to you about their genuine thoughts.
Be real: Ideally, check-ins help you adjust work in a way that benefits your team the most. Of course, giving a team member exactly what they want isn't always possible, but a compromise almost always is. But it’s always better to be realistic (but still compassionate!) then promise changes that are out of your capacity.
Use smart tools: Check-ins shouldn’t be a series of standalone meetings. It’s critical that the themes discussed are pondered, returned to, and eventually settled. A tool like Collato, to enable this process is vital. Meeting information is accessible to you and your teammates on one platform, allowing both parties to record, visualize progress, goals, and outcomes.
Don’t be too formal: Check-ins shouldn’t be something to fear or dread; it’s more of an informal, yet constructive, conversation between you and a teammate. Remember that this isn’t an opportunity for you to give orders, discipline for poor performance, or check-off boxes. It’s rather a chance for you to listen, understand, and find new approaches to work.
Don’t exclude anyone: Even if your team does great work and seems motivated and engaged, it’s still important to check in on people. Make sure to hold meetings on equal ground; it’ll keep everyone happy and reduce attrition.
Don’t ask if you don’t act on it: Scheduling meetings and preparing the right check-in questions is a great first step, but the real value comes from what you do with the information you’ve received. Make sure you acknowledge and act on your team’s suggestions, feedback, and advice. Because “the worst thing you can do about a situation is nothing.”
If you want to level up your meetings, Collato makes check-ins an easy and joyful routine.
Verbal status updates can be helpful within smaller teams, but as your organization grows, it becomes harder to connect ideas and goals across large teams. For example, if you verbally update your company on your ongoing tasks, there is a high probability that by the end of the day, most people will forget what you said. So as your team grows, so should your update methods.
To cut down on time spent in meetings, your team can use Collato to check status updates, ask about progress, and any other questions they might have. Meanwhile, your Slack stays quiet.
So now that you know the value of check-ins and the types of questions to ask, in the wise words of Ice Cube, “drink some coffee, put some gangsta rap on, and handle it.”
