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Checking in with your team is a great way for leaders to gain a clear understanding about their team. It provides the time to discuss any questions, concerns or ideas and problem solve on the spot.
In last week’s update, we explored ways to set your team up for success through asking key questions before the working day, these questions establish the game plan and each team member understands their role in the game.
The next step is to check in with your team. Like a sports game, how do you know you’re winning while you are playing?
Quite often in business, we spend large sums of money and recruit people and we don’t find out the score until the game is over, by then, it’s too late.
It’s like playing a game of ten pin bowling. The moment you bowl the ball down the lane, feedback is received instantly, you see which pins are knocked over and your scorecard is displayed on the tv screen.
Imagine bowling the ball with pins behind a curtain, you can’t see which pins were knocked over but you can hear it and your results were sent to you a week later. Would you want to play ten pin bowling again? Probably not.
If you want to make sure people are performing right, check in and see how they are going. Use a scorecard to track the goals for the day. Is there a promotion you are running or a special of the day, how many people did you talk to about these offers?
The intention of keeping score is not to micromanage and catch people out, but rather to help your team do their job well and reward people for doing a good job.
Checking in with your team also allows your people to be heard. By taking the time to check in, you can provide additional support or prompt them if they’re not performing rather than waiting until the end of the shift when it’s too late. You can also solve problems on the spot and you may even be surprised to learn or observe what your team are doing well within the business and use this information to teach others.
Frequent check-ins are beneficial for everyone, it helps leaders and teams stay on the same page, it creates rapport and engages your team which in turn increases productivity.
How are you checking in with your team throughout the working day?